The Past: Traditional Financial Services and Technology Culture

Abstract

This chapter outlines the history of exclusion in both finance and technology workplaces. I show examples of the lack of diversity and the exodus of any diversity due to misogyny, cliques, and the ‘system’. I highlight numerous gaps including the ‘gender pay gap’, the ‘educational gap’, the ‘funding gap’, the ‘disparity gap’, and the ‘confidence gap’ to raise awareness of the problems we face and must acknowledge before we can tackle the gender imbalance authentically. I explain what is meant by ‘group think’ and how diversity of thought must challenge this.