Research by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has found that the number of women working in the technology sector has continued to rise at a snail’s pace over the past five years
Sue Black, founder of BCS Women, said: “For decades, women have driven some of the biggest technological breakthroughs in history. The data in this report show an incremental trend toward women seeing a tech career as a means to change the world.
“But we need to supercharge that growth, and fast. We can surface amazing role models, but we also need to reshape workplace culture so diverse voices are valued. When women thrive in tech, innovation thrives.”
We need to reshape workplace culture so diverse voices are valued. When women thrive in tech, innovation thrives Sue Black, BCS Women
For the gender split in the technology sector to reflect the gender split of the wider working world, there would need to be 530,000 more women in tech roles.
There are many barriers in the way of achieving this number, with the recent Lovelace report claiming that between 40,000 and 60,000 women are leaving digital roles each year, whether for other tech roles or to leave tech for good, with a quarter stating the reason to be a lack of opportunity to advance their career in their current roles.
BCS’s research correlates with this, finding that women in the industry earn on average 12% less per hour than their male counterparts, and that women in tech are more likely to be unemployed than men in tech.
While women in tech face barriers to entry and progression, black women face their own unique challenges, making their progression in the sector even more difficult. The technology sector comprises only 0.6% of black women, a 0.1% drop since 2022.
The difference in the way men and women work is also highlighted in BCS’s research, with women in the tech sector more likely to work part-time than men. It found that 13% of women in the tech sector were working on a part-time basis, compared with 3% of men.
Compared with 2023, the number of women in tech working part-time has risen by 3%, whereas the percentage of men working part-time remained the same.
Despite its potential for flexible working, BCS found only 5% of women in tech were self-employed.
Gender split varies across the tech sector, depending on a variety of variables, including role. Women were found to be less likely to work as IT engineers, and more likely to work in roles such as IT project managers, web designers and IT operations. Women are also less likely to work in technology roles in industries such as manufacturing and construction.
Across the UK, there were fewer women in tech positions in Wales and the East Midlands, compared with other areas in the UK. Scotland, London and the North East were found to be home to more female tech talent.
Despite being less senior and lower paid than their male counterparts, women in tech were found to be more qualified, with 82% of women in tech holding some form of higher education level qualification, compared with 71% of their male counterparts. However, men in tech were more likely to have a technology-related degree than women.
Jo Stansfield, CEO of Inclusioneering and BCS Women vice-chair, said: “It is encouraging to see a long-term movement towards better representation of women in tech, but we need to see a step-change in the rate of progress if we are to make meaningful change within the lifetime of the current workforce.
“Women and underrepresented communities in tech continue to face barriers at every stage of their careers. Government and industry must prioritise solutions that foster a culture of inclusion – one that not only creates equitable opportunities for its workforce, but builds a trusted, competent and ethical profession that serves the needs of society.”
BCS Women, in partnership with Coding Black Females, made a number of recommendations for increasing the number of women in the technology sector, including starting at school level to encourage young women into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects early, tackling the gender pay gap, making the recruitment and career progression playing field more level, introducing flexibility more widely across the sector, and focusing specifically on the barriers faced by black women trying to embark on tech careers.
Jonathan is a tech enthusiast and the mind behind Tech AI Verse. With a passion for artificial intelligence, consumer tech, and emerging innovations, he deliver clear, insightful content to keep readers informed. From cutting-edge gadgets to AI advancements and cryptocurrency trends, Jonathan breaks down complex topics to make technology accessible to all.
