A number of high-profile whistleblowers in the technology industry have stepped into the spotlight in the past few years.
This raises the question of whether women are more likely to be whistleblowers in the tech field.
The short answer is: Its complicated.
Are whistleblowers more focused on the public interest?
Less influential in their organizations?
Are these possible explanations for why so many women are blowing the whistle on big tech?
What we found was both complex and intriguing.
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Whistleblowing is a difficult phenomenon to study because its public manifestation is only the tip of the iceberg.
Most whistleblowing is confidential or anonymous.
Let them have a hand in the citys housekeeping, even if they introduce an occasional house-cleaning.
Much of this likely comes down to the socialization of men and women into different gender roles in society.
In these studies, the gender effect is inconclusive.
However, women appear more willing than men to report wrongdoingwhen they can do so confidentially.
This may be related to the fact thatfemale whistleblowers may face higher ratesof reprisal than male whistleblowers.
In the technology field, there is an additional factor at play.
Women are under-represented both in numbers and in organizational power.
The Big Five in tech Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are stilllargely whiteand male.
Women currently representabout 25% of their technology workforce and about 30% of their executive leadership.
They also lack the power that sometimes corrupts, referred to as thecorruption opportunity gap.
In the public interest
Marginalized people oftenlack a sense of belonging and inclusionin organizations.
Clear and conclusive data does not exist, and without concrete evidence the jury is out.
More so than any other corporate sector, tech pervades peoples lives.
This makes the courage and the commitment of todays whistleblowers all the more important.
