Women in Technology Statistics By Education, Role and Contribution
Updated · Oct 09, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor Choice
- The History of Women in Technology
- Role of Women in Tech
- Gender Gap in Technology
- Women in Technology Statistics Increased By Less Than 1%
- India’s IT Sector has The Highest Women’s Representation
- Women’s Contribution To Technology Around The Globe
- Women’s Workforce Representation in Large Companies
- 2023 State of Women Leadership
- Women in Technology Education Statistics
- Leadership And Business Statistics
- Why Women Quitting Tech?
- Conclusion
Introduction
Women in Technology Statistics: Over the past few decades, more women have entered the tech industry, which was long male-dominated. Although strides have been made, achieving gender equity is still challenging. This article explores some of the recent statistics about women in technology and highlights the obstacles and prospects they face going forward.
By 2024, rapid developments in the tech industry have been recorded, together with improved gender equality and inclusion. However, still, women need to be more represented in most job areas within the field of technology. This post intends to give an extensive view of the status of women in technology statistics, including important numbers and statistics, as well as various changes regarding women’s status.
Editor Choice
- Women in technology statistics workforce-associated fields make up 35%.
- Compared to their white male counterparts, black female CEOs earn 38% less.
- More than 50% of working women in technology statistics report having been subjected to sexual harassment and sexism at some point during their careers.
- There are only 3% black women in the field of technology.
- Just 1.7% of women in technology statistics identify themselves as Latinx.
- Only 2% of venture capital funding goes to female founders.
- Firms that have diverse executive teams are 25% likely to have higher than average profitability rates.
- Only 47.7%, or less than half of working-age women in technology statistics, are participating in the global workforce.
- At Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, female staff comprise 45%, 37%, 34%, 33%, and 33.1% of their entire workforce, respectively.
- In 2022, the % of female leaders across various tech firms globally was highest at 14%. In the United Kingdom, females occupy only about a fifth (21%) of superior positions in the technology industry.
- About 8 to 9% of women who call themselves CIO, CTO, or IT managers are regarded as heads of technical teams.
- According to 55% of women, a trust deficit in oneself is the major hindrance to their career growth, while 29% mentioned clear routes as another hindrance.
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The History of Women in Technology
Throughout history, women have significantly contributed towards advancing the field of technology and computer science. One such woman was Grace Hopper, who formulated machine-independent programming language theory as a basis for developing COBOL’s existing language, which has high-level programming dimensions. Furthermore, the actress plus inventor Hedy Lamar made a patent for frequency hopping technology back in 1941; this invention later served as the foundation for present-day wireless communications such as Wi-Fi, GPS, or Bluetooth that people around the globe extensively utilize.
As mentioned by Marguerite Zientara in her book that was published in 1987, Women, Technology and Power: Ten Stars and the History They Made, it can be noted that during the 1980s, with the advent of personal computers and towards the later part of the 1990s when most people used legacy internet systems; women in technology statistics were taking up roles as prominent figures in the technology sector even though they belonged to different companies like IBM (Joyce Wrenn) or Open Systems (Ann Winblad). When compared side by side, these women were found to be more alike than different, and they were identified by strength of character and self-confidence, among other things, such as enthusiasm for life’s challenges and willingness to endure hardships.
Although females who hold roles such as CEO, executive, or manager continue to constitute a small section of the population in tech companies, there has been some momentum and notable accomplishments, too. In summary, it was reported that the proportion of women at the top of Fortune 500 firms was 10.4 %, which was the highest it has ever been since 2023; within a year before this one quarter (or 25 %), or 52 women were made CEOs including a good number from technology-related businesses.
Role of Women in Tech
#1. Employment of Women in Technology Statistics
- In computer and mathematical occupations, women hold 28 % of all positions, but their representation drops to 22 % in every tech job in companies across Europe.
- In the UK, 29 % of tech sector employees identify as female or non-binary, but this figure falls to 20 % for software engineers.
- There is roughly a 3:1 gender ratio in the tech industry, which increases to a 4:1 ratio among technical positions. In addition, 72 % of women in technology claim they always face a more than 2:1 gender ratio during business meetings.
- Women hold 26 % of AI jobs worldwide, which is even lower than the percentage for cloud computing (15 %) and data-based positions (12 %).
#2. Women in Computer and Mathematical Occupations
- 28 % of All Jobs: Women hold 28 % of all jobs in computer and mathematical occupations. This category includes roles such as data analysts, statisticians, and computer programmers. While this representation is a sign of progress, it still shows a significant underrepresentation of women in technology statistics fields.
- 22 % of Tech Roles in European Companies: In European companies, women’s representation drops to 22 % in all tech roles. This indicates that while women may be present in broader mathematical and computer occupations, their presence in more specialized and higher-demand tech roles within European companies is even lower.
#3. Gender Representation in the UK Tech Sector
- 29 % Identify as Women or Non-Binary: In the UK, 29 % of tech sector employees identify as women or non-binary. This broader inclusion of non-binary individuals shows a more inclusive approach to gender diversity in the tech sector.
- 20 % Among Software Engineers: However, when focusing on software engineers specifically, the % drops to just 20 %. This significant drop highlights the challenges in achieving gender diversity within highly technical and specialized roles like software engineering.
#4. Gender Ratio in Tech Firms
- Overall Ratio of 3:1: The overall ratio of men to women in technology statistics firms is about 3:1. This means that for every three men, there is only one woman in the tech industry.
- Technical Roles Ratio of 4:1: For technical roles, the ratio rises to 4:1. This indicates that women are even more underrepresented in highly technical positions compared to the general tech workforce.
- Outnumbered in Business Meetings: Additionally, 72 % of women in tech report being outnumbered by men in business meetings by at least 2:1. This highlights the pervasive gender imbalance that women face daily, impacting their visibility and influence within their companies.
#5. Women in AI, Cloud, and Data Roles
- 26 % of AI Jobs: Globally, women hold 26 % of jobs in artificial intelligence (AI). While AI is a rapidly growing and influential field, women’s representation remains limited.
- 15 % in Cloud Roles: Women’s representation in cloud computing roles drops further to 15 %. This indicates a substantial gender gap in one of the tech industry’s most crucial and evolving segments.
- 12 % in Data Roles: The representation is poorest in data roles, where only 12 % of the positions are held by women. Given the importance of data science and analytics in modern tech, this low % is particularly concerning and highlights a critical area for improvement.
#6. Retention of Women in Technology Statistics
- Unless the trend drastically changes, the representation of female employees in technology-based jobs in Europe is predicted to decrease from 24 % to around 21 % by 2027.
- Notably, 43 % of women working in technology-related fields often contemplate quitting their jobs every week.
- It has been observed that more than half (54 %) of women leave the information technology field, leading to the point that male workers leave within twice as brief a period.
#7. Women in Technology Statistics (Pay Quality)
- Only eight percent of female workers in Britain’s technological industry are confident that they receive equal remuneration to their male counterparts.
- Typically, women who work in technology sectors earn approximately $15000 less than males.
- There is still a 26 % gap between what European women earn and what their male colleagues receive within the technology field.
#8. Discrimination of Women in Technology Statistics
- Bro culture is reported by 72 % of women in tech as evidenced by statistics indicating gender discrimination at work.
- However, 63 % of professionals engaged in engineering and IT fields have also claimed to experience such a notoriously possessed culture, though this is slightly less than the case with women employed elsewhere in other tech areas.
#9. Leadership Role of Women in Technology Statistics
- In 2023, only 14 % of technology leaders were women, indicating that there is still inequality in terms of gender representation at the highest levels within this industry. According to a survey of over 17,000 developers in Q3 2023, 23 % identified as female, which shows a steady increase from 19 % in 2021, when more women started to join the developing profession.
- In 2023, out of the $170.59 billion invested by venture capitalists in American companies last year, companies with at least one female founder raised approximately $44.4 billion, illustrating the potential for investment and the hurdles facing female-owned start-ups trying to get financial support.
- In 2023, it was reported that a third of women working in the technology sector in the UK were looking to leave their current jobs. This indicates that there are still so many hurdles regarding retention and work-life balance, which is a contributing element to deciding whether or not to stay attached to this industry.
- Women accounted for almost 30 % of developers in East Asia, or just about 1 out of 3 people you will find on GitHub, during the first quarter of 2023; this is an increase from 15 % observed in Q1 2021, indicating that more ladies have been getting involved in the technology business within this part of the world.
- According to Deloitte, women account for only one-third of the total workforce in large tech companies. At present, the estimate is 33 %. There are many tech organizations across the globe that are making efforts to enhance female representation; however, progress in comparison to this figure has been slow, with an average annual increase of just 1 %
Gender Gap in Technology
- It was found that merely 14 % of young women had begun coding in their schooling years compared to 21 % of young males.
- The gender gap in technology appears to be narrowing for future generations. For example, only 13.9 % of girls between 18 and 24 started coding while still at school, compared to 20.9 % of boys in the same age group.
- This represents massive progress (note that men above thirty-five are twice as likely than females to have started learning how to program before turning sixteen).
Women in Technology Statistics Increased By Less Than 1%
Within the past five years, the number of women operating in technology increased from 28.8 % during 2020 to around 31.5 % as a result, dipped by a large 2.1 % point in 2021. The figure rose to 27.6 % among women working in tech globally in 2022.
| Year | Women in tech |
| 2022 | 27.6 % |
2021 | 26.7 % |
| 2020 | 28.8 % |
India’s IT Sector has The Highest Women’s Representation
As per the CFA Institute’s research, the IT industry boasts of having the most female representation in its labor force, amounting to thirty % of its entire personnel count. In comparison, financial service corporations were a close second at twenty-two point four % within the 2021-2022 fiscal period. This analysis relied solely on optional disclosures made through Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reports published by one hundred thirty-four firms.
As the biggest assembly of the white-collar workforce in the country, it is distinguished by a relatively greater number of women. In contrast, middle-class goods movement companies and production have much lower female employability levels, at only 5.5 % and 4.3 %, respectively.
Women’s Contribution To Technology Around The Globe
Women’s Representation in Big Tech
(Reference: statista.com)
Based on the above-given company figures, women make up less than 30 % of Microsoft and 45 % of Amazon, two of America’s largest tech companies. However, when considering true tech jobs within those companies, the number drops significantly. Fewer than 1 in 4 technical roles are women.
Women’s Workforce Representation in Large Companies
(Reference: statista.com)
The data above shows that the female workforce is gradually increasing year by year. It indicates that women continue to drive positive change in the technology sector and have a global impact.
2023 State of Women Leadership
(Source: holoniq.com)
The above 2023 data interpret that women have the highest %, 77 %, of Public school teachers in terms of leadership. This means that women are more likely to take the leadership role in the education and healthcare sectors. In other sectors like IT, Finance, and Startups, women’s leadership shows fewer numbers, which shows men dominate these sectors.
Women in Technology Education Statistics
(Source: sonary.com)
In fields like technology, in which males dominate, there is a hard choice for female learners just as it is for possible female workers in the same field. Although there has been an increase in opportunities for women to train as computer scientists, they are usually interested in something other than the course.
Therefore, women only make up 32.8 % of people who work in entry-level positions in computer science, and Asian women constitute only 25 % of employees within this domain. Below is a collection of statistics showing how different factors lead women into STEM degrees.
Leadership And Business Statistics
(Source: sonary.com)
Even though women’s efforts in leadership and entrepreneurship have made progress, not all women are entitled to enough funding prospects or even advancement chances. Therefore, as far as a woman goes in the technological area, she will always find fewer and fewer choices available to her. In bigger organizations, only 5 % of the currently vacant posts of Chief Executive Officers are occupied by females.
- Only 15 % of women occupy leadership positions as tech business CEOs or those in the upper echelons of management (Zippia, 2022).
- Black female CEOs earn 36 % less than their white male counterparts (Leanin.org, 2022).
- There are only six black women who hold Fortune 500 CEO positions, up from 2 in 2021 (Fortune, 2022).
- Of all the 3,000 largest U.S. companies, just a scant 6.2 % have a female as their topmost executive (WB Collaborative, 2022).
- For every dollar made by male CEOs in technology startups, female ones only earn $0.89 (Inc.com, 2022).
Why Women Quitting Tech?
- Research on employee recruitment indicates that it is difficult to keep women who work in technology.
- A study by the Tech Leavers Report 2017 revealed that approximately 11.3 % of female STEM workers withdrew from technology-related jobs in 2016.
- The main reason given for leaving was unfairness or mistreatment at the workplace. These figures thus necessitate IT firms to improve gender inclusiveness, advancement paths, and employee safety instructions to effectively attract and retain female IT practitioners.
- Women are 45 % more likely to quit their tech jobs than men.
- Women working in tech jobs who quit by the age of 35 are 50 %
- Women reporting optimism about advancement opportunities are 21 %
Conclusion
The state of women in technology statistics a few years from now (2024) reveals an upward trend in representation, leadership, and education. Nonetheless, several challenges remain that require concerted efforts from the industry’s stakeholders to create a more inclusive and equitable tech world. By confronting these problems, we can aim to transform the current scenario so that each female will have equal presence and recognition within the technological domain.
Sources
FAQ.
Women make up 35 % of the workforce in technology-related fields.
Over 50 % of women working in technology have reported experiencing sexual harassment and sexism during their careers.
Less than half, or 47.7 %, of working-age women participate in the global workforce.
In 2022, 14 % of leaders in global tech firms were women. In the UK, women held 21 % of senior positions in the tech industry.
Women hold 22 % of all tech roles in European companies.
29 % of tech sector employees in the UK identify as women or non-binary, but only 20 % of software engineers are women.
The overall gender ratio in tech firms is 3:1, and in technical roles, it rises to 4:1. Additionally, 72 % of women report being outnumbered by men in business meetings by at least 2:1.
Women hold 26 % of AI jobs, 15 % of cloud roles, and 12 % of data roles globally.
If trends continue, the representation of women in tech jobs in Europe is expected to decrease from 24 % to around 21 % by 2027.
In Q1 2023, women accounted for almost 30 % of developers on GitHub in East Asia.
Maitrayee, after completing her graduation in Electrical Engineering, transitioned into the world of writing following a series of technical roles. She specializes in technology and Artificial Intelligence, bringing her experience as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, with a focus on education and healthcare under the Australian system. From an early age, writing and painting have been her passions, leading her to pursue a full-time career in writing. In addition to her professional endeavors, Maitrayee also manages a YouTube channel dedicated to cooking.
