How much does gender inequity cost you? Here are the key facts: 

• Companies with gender-diverse leadership are 15% more likely to have higher financial returns 
• Companies with more women in C-suite roles see 34% higher returns for shareholders. 
• Advancing women's equality could add up to $28 trillion to global annual GDP

But here’s the grim reality: 

• Only 5.6% of CEOs in the global 500 are women
• Only 29% of C-suite positions are held by women, despite progress over the past decade
• Women carry out an average of 60% more unpaid work than men, with women spending 26 hours a week on unpaid work compared to 16 hours for men

Why Businesses Struggle to Retain Women

Hiring and supporting women drives profit. Period. But most businesses can’t quantify the impact, so they don’t invest in retaining women. 

For instance, did you know that 98% of mothers want to return to work full-time after starting a family? 

Only 24% are able to. Of that 24%, 79% quit full-time within 2 years. 

Everyone misses out when businesses don’t invest in their cultural ROI. 

Why Women Leaders Are Leaving Corporate America

Caroline Castrillon writes about why women leaders are leaving their jobs at record rates. 

“Women leaders are leaving corporate America at the highest rate in years. In fact, the gap between women and men leaving is the largest it’s ever been. It's called by some as the "Great Breakup," and it refers to a trend where women are more likely to leave their jobs to get their needs met.” 

The most commonly mentioned culprits are unequal pay, high stress, lack of flexibility and harassment. One woman, Katharine McKee, left her job because her workplace wanted her to be more deferential to the men around her. 

“My former boss pulled me aside to tell me that the leadership team had all voted to promote me in my role, except for one, who felt that I made him look bad in meetings when I didn’t let his confidence supersede my expertise. That boss and group offered to train me in how to get this person to like me, so that they would approve the promotion and I could learn how to better politic.” 

These stories represent lost talent and innovation. Companies with gender-diverse leadership are 25% more likely to outperform their peers financially - meaning that we’re leaving serious profit potential unrealised.

I’m convinced that if more businesses could see the direct link between gender diversity and profits, we’d see a dramatic shift in hiring, promotion and workplace practices. But without tools to measure this impact, we’re stuck in a cycle of good intentions and mediocre results.

Introducing ROI Genie: AI-Powered Solutions for Gender Diversity in the Workplace

This is why, at WCorp, we're tackling this issue head-on. We're developing an AI called ROI Genie to quantify the ROI of hiring and supporting women in the workplace. 

Our goal? To provide businesses with the hard data they need to make informed decisions about gender diversity.

As we develop ROI Genie, I'm wondering if anyone on here is brave enough to take a hard look at their business.

We all know by now that the gender makeup of your company, at EVERY level, has a direct correlation to your profits. ROI Genie aims to quantify this figure for you. While still a work-in-progress, we're excited about its potential to drive change.

How do you see AI shaping the future of diversity in tech? Head over to LinkedIn to share your thoughts!