Despite national conversations about gender diversity in tech, women are still underrepresented, underpaid, and often discriminated against in the tech industry, numbers show.
Diversity is critical to IT performance. Diverse teams perform better, hire better talent, have more engaged members, and retain workers better than those that do not focus on diversity and inclusion, according to a report from McKinsey. Despite this, women remain widely underrepresented in IT roles.
And the numbers back up this assertion, often in stark ways. Lack of representation for women in the IT industry can be attributed to a wide array of often interrelated factors, and its persistence has follow-on effects in terms of compensation, opportunity, and safety in the workplace. Companies that emphasize equity and inclusion, however, are making inroads when it comes to promoting the careers of women — and retaining them.
Statistics from the following 12 facets of IT careers, from pursuing a degree to navigating the workplace environment, paint a clear picture of the challenges women face in finding equal footing in a career in IT.
The employment gap
Despite national conversations about the lack of diversity in tech, women are disproportionally missing out on the ongoing boom in IT jobs. While women make up 47% of all employed adults in the US, as of 2022, they hold only 28% of computing and mathematical roles, according to data from Zippia, with women identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander making up just 7% of the IT workforce and Black and Hispanic women accounting for 3% and 2%, respectively.
In fact, the ratio of women to men in tech roles has declined in the past 35 years, with half of women who go into tech dropping out by the age of 35, according to data from Accenture. The study attributes much of this decline to a lack of inclusivity for women in the industry. For women of color and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LBT) women, this lack of inclusivity plays an even larger factor. For example, 67% of women of color in less-inclusive college environments said they saw a “clear pathway from studying tech, engineering, or math to a related career,” compared to 79% of other women. When adjusted for more inclusive environments, that number jumps to 92%.
Women also face more barriers to promotion and career growth. A 2022 report from McKinsey found that only 86 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men across every industry, but when isolated for tech, that number drops to 52 women for every 100 men. Women who work in more inclusive environments are 61% more likely to advance to management level, while that number jumps to 77% for women of color, according to data from Accenture. Men are even 15% more likely to get promoted to a management position when working in a more-inclusive environment.
Compared to other non-tech industries, women in technology roles have some of the lowest numbers of representation at every level. McKinsey found that only 32% of entry-level technology hardware roles are held by women and 43% of entry-level software roles. And the numbers decrease as you climb the ladder, with women representing only 17% of hardware and 30% of software roles at the SVP level.
The degree gap
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that STEM occupations have grown 79% over the past three decades and are projected to increase another 11% by 2030. But women still account for only 18% of new computer science degrees, while Black and Hispanic women account for only 6% of degrees, according to data from Women in Tech Network.
Data from Accenture shows that as of 2022, women have a higher dropout rate of 37% for tech classes compared to just 30% for other programs. When it comes to advanced degrees, only 30% of master’s degrees in engineering and computer sciences are awarded to women, dropping to 24% for doctoral degree, according to Society of Women Engineers. It will only become more difficult to foster gender diversity in the tech industry if colleges and universities aren’t also looking at the diversity, inclusion, and equity of their STEM degree programs.
The retention gap
Once a diploma is earned, the real work begins, and here the numbers for women in tech are even more troubling. Only 38% of women who majored in computer science are working in the field compared to 53% of men, according to data from the National Science Foundation. This is a consistent trend that has been dubbed a “leaky pipeline,” where it’s difficult to retain women in STEM jobs once they’ve graduated with a STEM degree.
Oftentimes, retention is a factor of workplace culture and inclusivity. It’s one thing to recruit women for IT roles, but organizations must be inclusive and equitable if they expect women to stay. Unfortunately, the study from Women in Tech Network found that 65% of recruiters believe that bias is an “ongoing problem in technical recruitment,” noting that women are also 1.6 times more likely to be laid off than men. In 2022, during the mass tech layoffs, a staggering 69% of those laid off in the industry were women.
Workplace culture gap
Workplace culture also plays a role in women’s uphill battle in IT. According to a Pew Research Center report, 50% of women said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, while only 19% of men said the same. The numbers were even higher for women with a postgraduate degree (62%), working in computer jobs (74%), or in male-dominated workplaces (78%). When asked whether their gender made it harder to succeed at work, 20% of women said yes and 36% said sexual harassment is a problem in their workplace.
In addition to increasing the likelihood of gender-related discrimination against women, male-dominated workplaces pay less attention to gender diversity (43%) and cause women to feel a need to prove themselves all or some of the time (79%), according to Pew’s research. As a comparison, only 44% of women working in environments with a better gender-diversity balance said they experienced gender-related discrimination at work, 15% felt their organization paid “too little” attention to gender diversity, and 52% said they felt a need to prove themselves.
The work-life balance gap
Women in tech face hurdles when it comes to establishing a health work-life balance, often juggling more responsibilities outside of work than their male peers. A study from Deloitte found that women are more likely to leave their jobs due to inflexible working hours, with 14% citing lack of flexibility and 12% citing a negative work-life balance as reasons why they left their jobs. And 97% of respondents said they felt asking for more flexibility at work would negatively impact their changes of promotion.
And, even if they did ask, 95% said they believed that their workload would not be adjusted accordingly, and that they’d find themselves working a “full-time job in fewer hours and for less money.” Overall, 46% of women said they do not feel supported by their employers to balance their work and home lives — up from 36% in the previous 2022 study.
The representation gap
A lack of representation for women in tech can hinder a woman’s ability to succeed in the industry. It can put limits on their opportunities for mentorship and sponsorship and can foster “unconscious gender bias in company culture,” leaving many women “without a clear path forward,” according to a report from TrustRadius, which found that 72% of women in tech report being outnumbered by men in business meetings by a ratio of at least 2:1, while 26% report being outnumbered by 5:1 or more.
Unfortunately, women in tech are accustomed to a lack of representation — 72% of whom said they have worked for a company where “bro culture” is “pervasive,” while only 41% of men said the same. TrustRadius defines “bro culture” broadly as anything from an “uncomfortable work environment to sexual harassment and assault.” This gap in reporting between genders may in part be due to a discrepancy in perception, according to the report, which notes that it “can be hard for those in power, or those not negatively affected, to recognize problems within the dominant culture.”
Mentorship gap
The tech industry has been a predominantly male industry for decades, and as a result there is a lack of sponsorship and mentorship for women in the industry. According to the Women in the Workplace 2023 report from McKinsey, men are “disproportionately” benefitting from mentorship and sponsorship, and they do not struggle with having their accomplishments recognized and rewarded when working on-site in an office setting. Mentorship is an important aspect of becoming a leader, but while 58% of women say they aspire to be in leadership positions, only 39% say they feel they have a mentor who can help them achieve that goal.
Only 20% of women said that they feel that they’re more “in the know” at work, compared to 27% of men, and only 20% of women said that they feel connected to their organization’s overall mission, compared to 29% of men. Similarly, only 16% of women said they get the sponsorship and mentorship they need, compared to 23% of men and only 22% of women said they feel they get useful feedback compared to 31% of men.
Companies that want to retain women need to keep an eye on mentorship opportunities. Data from Anita Borg Institute found that women with mentors in the tech industry were 77% more likely to still be working in tech after three years when compared to women without mentors in the industry. A structured mentorship program can go a long way to fostering diversity: Research from Development Dimensions International found that, at organizations with a formal mentorship program, they are 20% more likely to have stronger diversity numbers at the leadership level.
The equity gap
Women of color face more significant challenges in the tech industry — and they are greatly underrepresented. While a total of 27% of computing roles are held by women, only 3% and 2% are held by Black and Hispanic women, respectively, according to Accenture. Out of 390 women of color in tech surveyed, only 8% said it is “easy” for them to thrive, compared to 21% of all women. In less-inclusive company cultures, 62% of women of color say they’ve experienced “inappropriate remarks or comments,” a number that drops to 14% for inclusive cultures.
LBT women face similar barriers, with only 9% of LBT women IT workers reporting that it’s “easy” to thrive in tech, while 23% of non-LBT women say the same. LBT tech workers also face higher rates of experiencing public humiliation or embarrassment (24%) or bullying (20%) in the workplace. The survey found that 83% of LBT women working in more-inclusive cultures reported “loving” their jobs and 85% describe their workplace environment as “empowering,” compared to 35% and 20%, respectively, in less-inclusive environments. Similarly, LBT women in less-inclusive cultures were half as likely to say they experienced inappropriate remarks or comments, were made to feel that the job was not for “people like them.”
The pay gap
Women are not only underrepresented in tech, they are also underpaid. Women earn, on average, $15,000 less than men, earning an average annual salary of $60,828 per year compared to $85,000 for men. The gap grows even wider for Latina and Black women, who earn an average annual salary of $52,000 in the industry, according to data from Women in Tech Network.
According to a report from Dice, 38% of women report being unsatisfied with their compensation compared to 33% of men. The average salary of a woman in tech who reports being satisfied with their compensation is $93,591, compared to an average $108,711 for men. On the opposite end, the average salary for women who report being dissatisfied with their compensation is $69,543, compared to $81,820 for men.
Women are also more concerned with compensation than most stereotypes would have you believe, according to a 2019 report on Women in Technology from IDC. There’s a myth that women are more preoccupied with benefits and flexibility, but 52% of women care about compensation and pay compared to 33% of men. Additionally, 75% of men believe their employer offers equal pay while only 42% of women say the same. Compensation is certainly a paramount concern for women in tech, who are often making less than their male colleagues.
The IT leadership gap
Only 87 women and 82 women of color in the tech industry are promoted to manager for every 100 men that are promoted to the same role, according to WTN. But women leaders are important for fostering equitable environments. According to IDC, organizations where 50% or more senior leadership positions are held by women, they’re more likely to offer equal pay, and female employees are more likely to stay with the company longer than a year, report higher job satisfaction, and feel the company is trustworthy.
Although these statistics are trending upward, women still feel less enthusiastic about their senior leadership prospects than men. The report from IDC found that 54% of men said they felt it was likely that they’d be promoted to executive management in their company. Meanwhile, only 25% of women said the same, noting a lack of support, self-confidence, and mentorship, as well as feeling the need to “prove themselves more than men to get promoted.”
McKinsey reports that women leaders are stepping away from their roles in tech to find positions that offer better flexibility and opportunity, pointing to the fact that women find it harder to advance than men and that they’re more likely to experience microaggressions or to have their judgement questioned. Women leaders also reported carrying more responsibilities around supporting employee well-being and inclusion, but 40% say they go unrecognized for that work.
Black women leaders face even more barriers to leadership. They are more likely to have their competence questioned by colleagues (55%), or to be “subjected to demeaning behavior.” One in three Black women leaders report being denied or passed over for opportunities because of their race and gender.
The founder gap
Startups are known for unconventional work environments, but women still struggle there — especially if they’re the founder. Only one in four startups have a female founder, 37% have at least one woman on the board of directors, and 53% have at least one woman in an executive position, according to a study from Silicon Valley Bank. And the founder’s gender has a direct impact on gender diversity, the study found. For startups with at least one female founder, 50% had a female CEO compared to just 5% for companies with no female founder.
Worse, startups with at least one female founder reported more difficulty finding funding, with 87% saying it was “somewhat or extremely challenging,” while only 78% of startups with no female founder said the same.
This article was originally published on January 23, 2020, and updated on March 8, 2021, and March 13, 2023.
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