Redfin’s technology team, which includes engineers, product managers and product designers, grew from 30 percent women in 2016 to 32 percent in 2017, according to a new report from Redfin. This is significantly higher than other major technology companies’ self-reported data. Each year, Redfin publishes a report on racial, ethnic and gender diversity in an effort to increase transparency within the industry.
In addition to growing the percentage of women in technology roles, Redfin increased the number of women in the rest of its corporate staff, from 57 percent in 2016 to 60 percent in 2017. Redfin’s field organization—its real estate agents and the roles that manage and support them—is also 60 percent women.
Men and Women by Department at Redfin
Gender 2016 2017
Field Business Tech Overall Field Business Tech Overall
Men 38.2% 42.5% 72.4% 42.3% 39.7% 39.8% 68.3% 42.4%
Women 61.8% 57.1% 27.7% 57.6% 60.2% 59.6% 31.7% 57.5%
In both 2016 and 2017, the company overall was 58 percent women, but more of those women moved into management positions in 2017. Forty-six percent of Redfin’s managers are women, up from 44 percent in 2016.
Redfin’s racial and ethnic diversity increased modestly over the past year among employees who identify as black or Hispanic.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Redfin Employees
Race or Ethnicity 2016 2017
Field Business Tech Overall Field Business Tech Overall
Asian 5.8% 15.7% 38.2% 10.7% 5.9% 15.2% 38.0% 10.3%
Black or African American 6.7% 3.9% 0% 5.6% 7.1% 8.8% 1.4% 6.9%
White 72.8% 70.0% 50.0% 70.0% 68.4% 62.3% 47.1% 65.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.4% 1.8% 2.9% 6.0% 8.2% 2.7% 3.4% 6.9%
Two or More Races 3.2% 6.1% 4.7% 3.9% 2.8% 5.5% 5.3% 3.4%
Hiring more black and Hispanic software engineers, product managers and product designers is a top priority for Redfin.
“Folks in these roles have an unusual amount of power, determining what millions of online visitors see on our website and our mobile application. While recruiting and developing women for technical roles continues to be important, in 2017 we decided that racial and ethnic diversity would become a higher priority,” said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman in the blog post.
Redfin is also focused on making its field operations team more racially diverse to better reflect the people that they serve. From 2016 to 2017, the percentages of Asians, blacks and Hispanics in Redfin field operations all increased.
Redfin hopes to make the most progress in developing people of color to management roles within the company. Compared to their levels of representation within the company overall, Asians, blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in management ranks. To achieve this, Redfin will introduce company-wide programs that include documented promotion criteria for all roles with more than five employees, data-driven guidance on pay raises and mentorship.
“Of the 13 people at the company with a vice-president title or higher, one is Asian and none are black or Hispanic. Retaining, developing and promoting more people of color into management roles is a high priority for me as Redfin’s CEO,” Kelman said.
SOURCE Redfin
