After Microsoft CEO’s remarks, tech giants try to narrow the gender gap

Global Business

The online firestorm that ensued in reaction to Microsoft’s CEO’s comments on how to ask for a pay raise have renewed a debate about the pay gap for women in the tech industry.

Satya Nadella angered more than few people around the world when he offered his thoughts on how a woman climbing the corporate ladder should go about getting a bigger salary. “It’s not really about asking for a raise,” he said, “but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along. And that might be one of the additional superpowers that quite frankly, women who don’t ask for a raise have, because that’s good karma.”

Some say Nadella’s comments underscore the importance of boosting the number of women in math and science careers. Microsoft recently revealed that women make up less than one third of its workforce. Women fill just 17 percent of the company’s technical positions. Those numbers are not significantly different at other tech firms like Facebook and Google.

Software and internet giants say they are trying to make improvements through internal training. They are also starting outreach programs aimed at teaching girls how to code.

Biz Asia America’s Bianca Davie reports.
Follow on Twitter @biancamdavie

For more on this debate, Georgetown University senior economist Nicole Smith joined Biz Asia America.

Global Gender Pay Gap

Graphic information from MoveHub