It is a pipeline problem, but there are very strong social and political vested interests that really don't want to admit it. The whole DEI industry leeches off productive companies by setting impossible standards of 50% female software engineers or perfect racial representation. If we admit that this is unrealistic, many DEI departments will no longer have a reason to exist. To tweak the popular Upton Sinclair quote, it's difficult to get an industry to admit that a problem is solved, when their salary depends on not solving it.