kellee's blog

The theories as to why women are poorly represented at tech companies are varied. But most pundits seem to agree -- and studies back them up -- that companies with women in the higher ranks are making more money, and companies that don't actively recruit and support women executives are missing the boat.

Companies with the most women in senior management had a 35 percent higher return on equity than those with the fewest, according to a study by Catalyst, a nonprofit group that studies women in business. It also found those companies paid their shareholders 34 percent more than companies with the fewest women in top management.

But Silicon Valley companies don't seem to get it. Another Catalyst study in 2003 found that among Fortune 500 companies, 12.4 percent of board members were women, while women represented just 9 percent of high-tech boards. The same study looked at female corporate officers and top earners, who made up 15.7 percent of all Fortune 500 employees, but just 11 percent at high-tech Fortune 500s.

Catalyst's results show the numbers are consistently, but slowly, increasing. Reasons for the slow pace of change are unclear, but theories include the glass ceiling, an unfriendly environment toward women and the much-debunked innate gender differences theory. Whatever the true cause, it's most pronounced in Silicon Valley, experts say.

But don't take my word for it,read the full article.