The illustration depicts the percentage of men participating in senior development positions at three companies—IBM, Microsoft, and Apple—over a thirty-year period from 1980 to 2010.
In the early 1980s, IBM had less than 10% male representation in these roles, while Microsoft and Apple had more favorable figures. Until 1985, IBM’s percentage remained very low and showed no signs of significant increase. However, by 1990, IBM’s numbers began to rise substantially. Meanwhile, Microsoft maintained a male participation rate of around 10% to 20% from 1980 to 2000, whereas Apple consistently held a range of 15% to 20% during the same period.
From 1995 onwards, IBM experienced a dramatic increase, reaching 25% male representation in senior development positions. This upward trend continued, with no decline in the percentage. In contrast, Microsoft and Apple did not experience similar growth; their numbers fluctuated throughout the years. By 2010, IBM’s male participation soared to 60%, Microsoft’s reached 45%, and Apple stood at 25%. This illustrates how IBM transformed its male representation from virtually nothing to a significant 60% over the course of thirty years.