The tech industry's gender landscape is more than a statistic and more than a skills gap. It's an intersection of challenges, untapped potential, and transformative opportunity. Women represent 29% of the tech workforce. This disparity goes beyond simple recruitment metrics. As International Women’s Day takes place in March, employers should consider the barriers for women in tech.
Female representation in tech
While the numbers are improving, there’s still a long way to go. The level of female representation in IT varies by job type. According to the BCS Diversity 2024 Report, women make up 6% of IT engineers and around 30% of IT project managers and web developers. Women in tech is a global issue. In 2022, a Statista report found that only 17.4% of software developers worldwide are female. The share of women working in cloud computing has seen a slight increase in recent years. The last published Statista stats showed that 14.2% of people working with cloud computing were women. The share of women working in data and AI is higher, around 32%.
At CTO and leadership level
Grant Thornton’s 2024 Women in Business data suggests we are far from achieving parity between men and women in senior management roles within the mid-market technology sector. Women hold 32% of senior management jobs in the tech sector. This is below the global average of 33.5% and other industries, including professional services (36.2%) and asset management (35.5%). More must be done to ensure that women are closer to the development of technology. They hold 20.2% of CTO roles in mid-market tech firms compared to 45.3% of HR Director positions. These figures highlight a profound disparity that extends beyond entry-level positions into leadership and technical expertise. As technology evolves, businesses without diverse tech leadership will lose out to competitors. And this includes their appeal as a destination for women in tech.
Breaking barriers: Challenges women face in tech
The barriers preventing women from entering and thriving in tech are multifaceted and deeply rooted.
- Recruitment bias: Traditional hiring processes often unconsciously favour male candidates, with job descriptions and interview techniques that inadvertently exclude or discourage women from applying.
- Workplace culture: Male-dominated environments can create environments where women frequently experience isolation, microaggressions, and a sense of not belonging.
- Lack of representation: With fewer women in leadership roles, there's a shortage of mentors, role models, and career pathways for female tech professionals.
- Unconscious bias: Ingrained stereotypes that some may have about women's technical capabilities can create hurdles at selection stages, interviews, annual reviews, projects, and promotions.
- TrustRadius’s 2021 Women in Tech report found that women face extra barriers to promotion in tech, including the lack of clear career paths, coaching and mentors.
- Technical credibility: Women often face pressure to prove their technical competence, experience higher scrutiny, and have lower initial trust in their skills.
IWD 2025: A moment for accelerated action
International Women's Day 2025 isn't only an awareness day. It demands action. This year’s theme is #AccelerateAction. It's an opportunity to:
- Audit current diversity metrics
- Launch new inclusion initiatives
- Commit to tangible, measurable goals
- Showcase your organisation's commitment to gender equity in tech
- Empower and advance women into leadership and technical roles
Strategic approaches to accelerate action
As the tech industry evolves, closing the gender gap requires more than conversation. Meaningful progress demands a holistic approach spanning candidate attraction, recruitment, and retention strategies.
Candidate attraction
To drive gender equity in tech, organisations must rethink how they attract and engage female talent. Reimagining recruitment and job descriptions can form the start of dismantling barriers.
Reimagine recruitment
Traditional recruitment methods often perpetuate existing biases. Consider:
- Blind CV screening
- Targeted outreach to women in STEM programmes
- Partnerships with women in tech networks and universities
Reimagine job descriptions
Jobs are changing, and so is recruitment as more firms adopt skills-based hiring.
- Differentiate between essential requirements and desirable skills.
- Avoid terminology that may discourage talented women from applying
- Focus job listings on core competencies, not exhaustive experience lists
Retaining top female tech talent
Retaining tech talent means creating an environment where women are empowered to succeed. Impactful programmes, improving workplace culture and investing in development can help accelerate action.
Create meaningful mentorship programmes
Structured mentorship can be a game-changer. Develop initiatives that:
- Pair junior female tech professionals with senior leaders
- Provide clear career progression pathways
- Offer targeted leadership development opportunities
Address workplace culture
Culture isn't about policies; it's about inclusion:
- Conduct unconscious bias training
- Implement transparent promotion criteria
- Create safe spaces for open dialogue about workplace challenges
Invest in training
Technical skills evolve. Support development by:
- Offering flexible upskilling opportunities
- Funding for professional certifications
- Coaching can help develop self-belief and prepare employees for senior tech roles.
Develop a leadership pipeline
- Design leadership programmes for women in tech
- Provide mentorship matching with senior female executives
- Create opportunities for high-visibility projects that showcase leadership potential
Measure and celebrate progress
What gets measured, gets managed:
- Set clear, measurable diversity targets
- Report on gender representation
- Recognise and reward inclusive practices
Gender inclusivity is critical in an age of fast-moving digital transformation. Technological and AI advancements happen almost daily. To stay competitive and drive innovation, recruiting and retaining women in tech is essential. How will you accelerate action?
If you're looking for top female talent in tech, speak with our experts today! Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 0330 058 3400.