We humans are connected to one another. Energy flows through us all. We are made up of 90% water. But that is where the sameness ends. Instead of lumping people together, we should look at them as fingerprints. We are all wonderfully unique.

In recent years Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been in the spotlight and has taken an important place in corporate training. But I’m here today to argue that women are more than just an educational issue. Although corporate training addresses female workers and diversity, we haven’t seen staggering results.

One reason is that we are not all “just women”. We make up 49.76% of the world’s population, but only in India and China are there more men than women. The rest of the world has more women than menBut despite our statistical population numbers, we are nowhere near half of all technology workers.

The statistics don’t lie

Various organizations have been tracking women in technology, and from entry-level positions to the boardroom, there have been ups and downs. But we are not yet where we need to be.

The statistics speak for themselves:

Related:The DEI Illusion: Overcoming Gender Bias in Data Centers

These figures are shocking. Several think tanks show that companies with greater diversity achieve significantly higher profits. On average, companies with female managers are 15-25% more profitable. accordingly McKinsey.

If Europe could double the proportion of women in the tech industry to around 45% by 2027, GDP could increase by up to 600 billion euros (654 billion US dollars).

So why aren’t we doing better? Why isn’t DEI training solving the problem of equal representation and diversity in technology? The U.S. alone spends about $8 billion annually on diversity training. Yet, according to Zenefits, a staggering 75% of corporate diversity programs struggle to produce measurable results. That’s about $6 billion spent without quantifiable results. Six billion dollars could be better spent on training a diverse workforce. A single certification can be a life-changing event that results in a loyal employee.

Fundamental change

So why does DEI fail for women in tech? In my opinion, the biggest problem is not listening to and investing in women in the workforce. First, not all women are the same. People fit into an organization based on culture, roles, overall company goals, and of course, an employee’s personal goals.

Related:Closing the gender pay gap in IT: One step closer to toasting champagne

Some of these principles also apply to employees who remain loyal to their employer. About 50% of women in technology leave their jobs before age 35 – a rate 45% higher than our male counterparts. It’s a shame that women leave an entire industry rather than find a better place within it where learned skills are transferable.

In this study, lack of support from management and a lack of work-life balance were the triggers. Other reasons we see include sexual harassment, lack of advancement opportunities, and caregiving responsibilities that burn out women. Burnout is especially problematic when a job requires on-site work, long hours, or inconvenient work schedules. The ability to work from home alone is a worthwhile perk.

Remote work has alleviated some of the burden. But not all companies are maintaining this advantage post-COVID. When you give a woman a choice between her job and her family, the result is not business-friendly. Women want to be in control of their own future and their time commitments. This is a key driver of female entrepreneurship. In fact, 40% of businesses in the US are now owned by women.

Related:Women in IT: “Significant progress” has been made, but challenges remain

Pay equity is a problem. Women don’t get paid the same for equal work. Companies don’t always look for pay equity within their workforce. Women are withdrawing from the workforce because the financial impact on the family is less. But these well-known and discussed problems have been around for years. Do we still need to address these problems when they arise? Of course we do. But how much money do we spend trying to control people’s minds? And therein lies the problem: While we can address some of the causes reported in studies, the problems women face cannot be summed up in a training course.

Think back to the failures that occurred due to a lack of diversity in the creation process (facial recognition, job descriptions, interviews, etc.). Biases will always exist, but they can often be mitigated by simply having conversations and including diverse input. Assumptions don’t work.

Don’t expect one woman to speak for all women; we are fingerprints. Don’t expect one man to speak for all men; they, too, are fingerprints. And for all our similarities, we are simultaneously very different and intersectional. We’ve lost the art of conversation in recent years, in part because we’ve been taught that there’s no need to ask. Why ask what someone needs when you “know.”

Internal Support

The driving force for women in tech is women in the tech industry and our male supporters. This grassroots movement is helping women advance, develop and excel in the industry. The level of support for women from women astounds some of our male counterparts. But as women, we recognize that we are not the same. We would do well in our society to stop grouping people by looks, preferences or other biases and instead start looking at people as fingerprints.

We have all come across walls that are easier to communicate than a few “fingerprints” in our environment. People change, opinions change, needs change. Opinions cannot be trained away. If you want to know why women are not successful in your organization, ask.

Ultimately, we must accept our fingerprints to ensure that everyone has a chance to succeed and recognize the unique contribution of each individual.