Women in Tech: What Can be Done to Bridge the Gender Gap

The gender ratio in technology roles has been an ongoing challenge for decades.

Despite industry-wide efforts to increase female representation, according to research from Accenture, the ratio of women in the technology industry has deteriorated over the past three decades. 

Today, women comprise less than a third of the global technology workforce according to a World Bank report, with Accenture's findings indicating that half of women who enter the tech sector leave by age 35. 

These dwindling ratios means that the technology sector continues to face talent shortages across multiple domains including AI and cybersecurity — fields where diversity of thought and approach can provide competitive advantages.

However, Women in Tech Day, founded by Anna Radulovski in 2017, has grown into a significant annual event aimed at addressing these disparities.

The network now includes 100,000 members across 179 countries, with the official proclamation of Women in Tech Day occurring on 4 April 2024.

So for this year’s Women in Tech Day, what has improved and what remains to be done?

Character.AI and Meta: Insights from women in technology

Research from Women in Tech, a collaborative community focused on gender equality in technology, estimates that only 26% of the technology workforce consists of women.

At the current pace of change, achieving equal representation could take decades.

Erin Teague, Chief Product Officer at Character.AI and former Head of Product at YouTube, says: “I don't think the ratios are going to change anytime soon. But I don't think it has to be a disadvantage.

“Being a Black woman, being a woman in general, on a team of all men, means that you are going to have a unique voice. It's important to embrace that.”

Sheryl Sandberg, Former Chief Operating Officer of Meta and former Vice President of Global Online Sales & Operations at Google, founded Lean In in 2023 to help women achieve their professional ambitions.

She adds: “The word 'female,' when inserted in front of something, is always with a note of surprise. Female COO, female pilot, female surgeon — as if the gender implies surprise. One day there won't be female leaders. There will just be leaders.”

Maxine Williams, Meta's Vice President of Accessibility and Engagement and Former Chief Diversity Officer, says: “For someone who is underrepresented in the technology industry, it's a real privilege to be in community with others who bring the assets of their experiences, skills and perspectives to benefit the industry.”

PwC: The inclusion paradox in the technology sector

Despite the representation challenges, research from PwC indicates that women working in technology report higher levels of workplace inclusion compared to other sectors.

PwC's Workplace Inclusion Indicator Index, which measures inclusive decision-making, belonging and fairness at work, found that “women in tech have the highest inclusion score for men or women across all the industries assessed in our research”.

The study also notes: “Tech is also one of only four industries for which women have slightly higher inclusion scores than men.”

This presents a counter-intuitive situation where the sector with persistent representation challenges also delivers more inclusive experiences for the women who do work there.

This inclusion advantage, however, may contribute to workforce mobility challenges.

PwC indicates that 31% of women in technology plan to change employers within the next 12 months, compared to 25% of women across all sectors.

This higher turnover intention reflects the portability of technology skills across industries and the competitive market for technical talent.

Furthermore, the gender representation issue extends beyond the technology industry itself, according to PwC's analysis: “In today's world, millions of young women are still excluded from the workforce because they don't have the means to pursue the appropriate levels of education or the opportunities to develop adequate technical or digital skills.”

The path towards more inclusion and representation

While collaboration between private, public and civil society stakeholders has increased to address the gender and digital divide, PwC emphasises that “much more needs to be done to increase exposure and upskilling to the technology industry and the associated opportunities they provide for women”.

Progress on gender equity in technology will require sustained effort across education, recruitment, retention and advancement pathways.

Current initiatives from technology companies, educational institutions and non-profit organisations address various aspects of the pipeline challenge, but the persistence of the representation gap indicates systemic issues remain.

“True, we are seeing progress in private, public and civil society stakeholders working together to bridge the gender and digital divide, but much more needs to be done to increase exposure and upskilling to the technology industry and the associated opportunities they provide for women,” PwC adds.

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