Is it education? Plenty of HS offer CS classes, are enough of the "under represented demographic" (URD) starting here? With the quota system in place at most state colleges, if you happen to be an URD you have a higher degree of chance of getting into the program you want. There are also plenty of solid CS programs that are available via online delivery and then you have to start in the field.
Is it the "field" that is hard to get into? I'd say yes. I have a Masters in Information Assurance and a CISSP and I have been fielding interviews left and right to land an IA gig. They just don't want anybody and you have to find your niche and develop it. Do the URD perceive this as racist/sexist behavior when really its just the way the game is played?
Is it the "scene"? Are the URD not aware that just about everyone in IT is a bit of a weirdo and have a hard time socializing with ourselves let alone someone new? We all just basically ignore and avoid one-on-one and intra-personal communication unless we absolutely have too. Very common to have one-way conversations. Not normal just the way a lot of us are.
Is it "cultural"? Is there some barrier that makes a segment of the URD simply not want to pursue it? At either a cultural, societal, human level? Considering that you can do a lot of this work from home, it'd be ideal for working mothers, or, the disabled. But, where are they?
I just know of so many positions for all aspects within the IT field that they'll take anyone. I'm listening to interviews for a network engineer at my current company that can do modeling. They are willing to take me and my experience with OpNet is strictly from an academic stand point via my class labs. I just have another full-time commitment so I can't. A PM was walking around begging for security engineers. They don't care who, they just want a body that can do the work.
What is it exactly?