Maintaining work-life balance has been the biggest challenge many women in the technology industry have come up against, according to a survey.

Recruitment firm Lorien surveyed women in the technology sector and found 45% claimed to have had difficulties with work-life balance in their role, making it the biggest barrier they have faced in their career. Almost 30% said their biggest roadblock as women in the sector is gender bias and discrimination.

“While the proportion of women in technology is steadily increasing, we can’t afford to become complacent,” said Darren Topping, director of enterprise solutions, insights and partnerships for Lorien’s parent company Impellam Group.

“The next hurdle is ensuring that women feel they have equal opportunities for career progression, with greater representation at senior levels. Creating a truly inclusive workplace means recognising that work-life balance is not a luxury, but a necessity.”

The number of women choosing a technology career is increasing, but slowly, with research from BCS finding in the four years to 2022 the number of women in the UK tech sector increased by just 4% – from 16% in 2018 to 20% in 2022.

The reasons for this slow growth are many, though one of the most cited reasons is a lack of inclusive culture in the tech workplace putting women off joining or forcing them to leave. 

Lorien found that 75% of women in the technology sector believe their current work environment is inclusive and offers them support. But when it comes to career development, only a quarter think they have the same career advancement opportunities as their male counterparts.

Inequality between men and women in society leads to difficulties for women in the tech workplace – women are more likely than men to have care responsibilities, for example, meaning the ability to work flexibly is increasingly important for women when looking for tech roles.

Almost 30% of those who answered Lorien’s survey believe flexible working is a trend that will significantly affect women in the future, and the Tech Talent Charter recently found that almost 12% of women in tech have dropped out in their roles to be able to better fulfil their care responsibilities. TTC also found that 40% of women said whether they plan to stay in their role depends on their current care responsibilities.

Topping said: “Flexible working policies, equal parental support and clear career progression pathways are essential. When companies prioritise mental health, implement fair workload management and foster supportive leadership, they empower women to advance and succeed in their careers.”

When it comes to ways women have been assisted with their technology careers, 31% felt their biggest support came from in-house training sponsored by the company they are working for, closely followed by professional networks.

While 12% of women claiming a lack of mentorship is the biggest barrier they’ve faced in their tech career, only 17% said their biggest career support had come from mentorship programmes.

Emphasis is often put on the need for role models in the technology sector – the more people are able to see others like themselves treading a certain path, the more confident and inspired they will feel to go in the same direction. But when it comes to the reasons behind choosing a career in IT, almost half said it was an interest in technology that drove them to pursue their roles, with only 6% saying their drive to go into tech was influenced by role models and mentors – however, it is not specified what the driving factor was for those with an interest in technology from a young age.

A quarter of women claimed their interest in a tech role was guided by the large number of job opportunities available in the sector, while 20% were drawn by the sector’s high salaries.

But women are still underrepresented in the technology sector, and 54% of women believe other women are often discouraged from considering a career in tech.

There are various factors that discourage women from technology roles – 49% of women said they were more likely to join an organisation if they had heard about the career stories of other women in that organisation, and 56% said the same if a firm had evidence of an equally gender-balanced workforce.

Equality initiatives, female professional support networks and good representation of women in leadership positions are all qualities that would make more than 50% of women more likely to choose to join an organisation. Around a fifth of women advised others looking into a tech career to look for mentors in the industry, and 22% advised focusing on professional network.

Keeping skills up to date was the most popular career advice (39%) women would give to others looking for a job in the tech sector. Meanwhile, 40% of women said increased representation of women in leadership positions is vital for encouraging more women into the technology sector, with a quarter also saying the same of properly developed gender equality practices in organisations.

“These findings make it clear that companies cannot afford to be passive about gender diversity in tech,” said Annelise Smith, managing director, workforce solutions at Impellam Group. “Women are confident and capable, yet systemic barriers continue to hold them back. Businesses that fail to address these issues risk losing top talent to competitors who prioritise inclusion and equal opportunity.”

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