It’s no secret that women are still heavily outweighed by men in the Digital and IT industry, but with Tech becoming so predominant and important in our everyday lives, it’s important to illuminate just how low the numbers currently are.
Though women remain in the minority throughout Tech, its about time the industry modernised its gender diversity, approach to recruitment and amplified its efforts to bring on creative, resourceful female talent!
Let take a deep dive into the current state of Women-In-Tech and the issues that need to be fixed:
Current figures for Women-In-Tech
In 2021, women are notably under-represented within the Tech industry in comparison to men. Within the UK alone, the national Tech workforce shows that
women make up a mere 19% - this figure drops to 3% for black women and 5% for women of Asian descent.
In the overall sphere of STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Mathematics) women account for 23% of the workforce and
only 5% of those Digital Leadership positions are women. In fact, women are
3.5 times more likely to be stalled in an entry-level position age 35 and up in comparison to men co-workers. When it comes to young girls exploring their career options, only
27% said they would consider a career in Tech – a steep contrast to
62% of boys aspiring to work in the field.
There are only
13% of women within the gaming industry alongside a stark
6% of women filling roles in DevOps and Cloud Engineering. With the gender balance still being so disproportionate within the sector, IT companies, Tech leaders and entrepreneurs as well as the world at large are seeking to bridge the divide and find ways to equalise opportunities for women to become more integral to the constantly evolving, creative world of Tech and IT.
Tackling the workplace culture
In addition to the underwhelming figures, it’s been stated that disproportionately male workplaces are not paying enough attention to the issue of gender diversity, with
43% not addressing the issue. As a response to these predominately male working environments, women can feel what is known as Imposter Syndrome - when women start to doubt their skills, talents and previous earnt accolades don’t amount to much. Overall,
75% of women have experienced this at some point in their careers. In Tech specifically, women are
22% more likely to experience symptoms of Imposter Syndrome in comparison to their male colleagues. When it comes to the ‘bro culture’ label Tech and IT companies have been given,
63% of women in Tech feel this is a common issue juxtaposed with men, of which 37% say they haven’t experienced this.
Tech looking to change the gender balance
Digital is really looking to widen the talent pool and become a fully inclusive, approachable space for women and diversity in general. Women are vital to business as fantastic problem-solvers, communicators and expanding revenue. Companies with higher gender diversity out-perform male-dominated ones by as much as
48%. Slack reported that women made up
50% in their company in 2018. At Depop,
57% of executive leadership positions are filled by women. Unilever have been ensuring they take on board as many female STEM trainees as men and have
50.7% of women within management positions.
Much needed solutions on the horizon
So how can Tech create solutions to make the industry more inclusive and welcoming to women? Women are seeking employers
who offer: fair maternity leave, equal pay, actively seeking to promote women as they progress, promote mentorship and undergo unconscious bias training.
It's clear that overdue change is needed to make Tech more inclusive, balanced and integrated for women to feel more welcome into an industry which greatly benefits from female brainpower and resourcefulness. More women filling further roles in Tech and IT would help to close the gender pay gap, changing the landscape and perceptions of the sector for good.
Looking to be a part of the pushback?
Are you passionate about breaking into Tech, being a trailblazer for the next generation of women and want to be a part of collective movement to uplift women into the inventive world of Digital and IT? You’ve definitely found yourself in the right place!
Here at The Training Room, we’ve connected with Tech companies who are pursuing the change we all want to see. With the launch of our most recent online Women-In-Tech Microsoft courses, we’re ready to assist you on your way to smashing down these antiquated gender-based barriers. Upon gaining a Microsoft accredited qualification with us, we will even set you up with a job interview!
Check out our latest Tech based Bootcamp programmes to get involved today.