Microsoft blames layoffs for drop in gender diversity

Microsoft has blamed a drop in its workforce's gender diversity on the thousands of layoffs it made to restructure its phone hardware business.

This year, women made up 26.8% of Microsoft's total workforce, down from 29% in 2014, the company reported Monday. Microsoft employed 5,701 fewer women this year compared to last, versus 5,316 fewer men.

In a blog post discussing the numbers, Gwen Houston, Microsoft's general manager of diversity and inclusion, said that while the firm made progress on other metrics, the decrease in women resulted from a business decision in the longer-term interest of the company.

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