The paper ceiling is a significant barrier; here’s why we must tear it down.

The “paper ceiling” – the invisible barrier that comes at every turn for STARs, workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes rather than a bachelor’s degree –spans and affects people in every industry. I’ve witnessed it countless times as an educator, and it’s no different as CEO at Girls Who Code. Our mission at Girls Who Code is not only to close the gender gap in tech but to tackle the obstacles that stand in the way of our most marginalized students. The paper ceiling is one of those obstacles.

Today, women hold only 26% of computing jobs. The numbers are far worse for Black and Latinx women, who make up 5.3% of computing jobs. Half of the women in tech say they lack female role models, and a third say they have unequal growth opportunities compared to male colleagues. Women make up just 5% of leadership positions in the tech industry. In contrast, women of color are nearly absent at the senior level, with zero Black or Latinx women CEOs of Fortune 500 tech companies.?

Looking at statistics like these, it is critical to establish the proper pathways to usher, support, and retain more women and women of color in tech.

Since the pandemic, online education has become an excellent resource for those who need learning systems that account for their varying priorities and responsibilities. Coursera’s Women and Skills report determined that 37% of STEM enrollments came from women in 2021, up from 31% in 2019. With the accessibility of online education, more and more women are skilling, reskilling, and upskilling online. And it’s not just online education. STARs are the 50% of workers who have developed valuable, in-demand skills through community college, certificate programs, military service, on-the-job learning, and more, rather than through a bachelor’s degree. By adopting skills-based hiring practices, like removing degree screens, companies can screen in STARs with the skills for hard-to-fill roles in growing fields like tech.?

Historically, top universities get significant attention from recruiters, but where does that leave candidates who are skilled through alternative routes? As someone who went to a City University of New York college with other working-class kids and knows many STARs, I know this pool has so much promise. We also need companies to rethink accessibility and flexibility when interacting with students since many have lost the ability to connect with potential employers directly.

Young women from historically under-represented groups make up more than half of our Girls Who Code community. These young women are clearly motivated and ready to learn but often don’t have the same opportunities. They might work multiple jobs while carrying a full college course load, have to balance homework with caregiving responsibilities, or do not have the same resources in their communities that others have. They embody bravery and resilience—qualities that are critical to all companies but are not reflected in conventional academic credentials that tech firms overwhelmingly rely on. This is self-defeating. Computer science is one of the fastest-growing professions in the country, expected to grow 11% between 2019 and 2029, adding another 500,000 new jobs to our economy. We can’t afford to leave a single ounce of tech talent on the proverbial table.?

Find out how STARs can meet your talent needs and find tools like the STARs Hiring Playbook at TearThePaperCeiling.org.?

#HireSTARs #PaperCeiling #TearThePaperCeiling