International women’s day is a day marked globally on 8th March celebrating women’s social, political, economic and cultural achievements and contributions. The day is also a means to raise awareness about gender equality and lobby for accelerated gender parity. The 2022 International Women’s day theme is to #breakthebias. Gender biases, whether deliberate or unconscious, have held back women from being able to access great opportunities. In the professional domain, especially in STEM and technology, gender bias continues to assault efforts at gender parity. 

According to a PwC survey, 78% of the UK university students surveyed could not name women in Tech. Data from Women’s Engineering Society revealed that only 15% of the people working in STEM roles in the UK are female. Furthermore, it also found that only 5% of leadership positions in the Tech Industry are held by women. PwC research also found that the reason why females are severely underrepresented in the UK Industry is connected to the gender gap in school level STEM education. This is where it all begins and it continues throughout University education. 

The table displays the percentage of female students studying STEM subjects at school compared to their male counterparts and the continuation of this trend at University. 

Fig : PwC report on Women in Tech

The same report also found that only 27% of female respondents were considering a career in technology, whereas 61% of male respondents considered a career in technology. Furthermore, a Tech career was a first choice for only 3% of the female respondents. There are several challenges that women face which lead to these severe gender gaps in Tech - 

1. Lack of representation 

Most women do not consider a career in Tech as it is not presented to them as a viable option, they are unaware about what it is like to work in tech, what a career in tech looks like and they have no female role models to look up to. In order to inspire and encourage future generations of females to choose a career in tech, the tech industry needs to do more with regards to showcasing female tech role models. 

For female role models to exist, women need to take up leadership positions. 

AN IDC report found that 54% of male respondents to a survey said they felt it was likely that they would be promoted to executive management in their company. Meanwhile only 25% of women said the same. 

Women in senior leadership positions can positively impact female employee recruitment and retention. Organizations where 50% or more senior leadership positions are held by women, are more likely to offer equal pay, women report higher job satisfaction, female employees are more likely to stay with the company for longer than a year and also find their company more trustworthy. 

2. Male dominated industry/ Gender Bias

Like any other industry, gender biases are present in the tech industry. This is visible in the way the tech sector is referred to as being male dominated. The majority of women in Tech report that they feel they have to work harder than their male counterparts to prove their worth. Women in tech are also 4 times more likely than men to see gender bias as an obstacle in getting promoted. These biases are more pronounced for women of color, they are even less confident about their prospects of a promotion. A report by trustradius suggested that 37% of women of color in tech report racial bias as a barrier to promotion. 

3. Pay gap 

Women in Tech are not only underrepresented, they are also underpaid. According to a report by 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 her compensation is - $93,591 compared to an average of $108,711 for men. On the other hand, women who are dissatisfied with their compensation reported receiving an average of $69,543 compared to men who reported $81,820. Additionally the perceptions around pay gap are also differentiated along gender, while 75% of men believe their employer offers equal pay, only 42% of women say the same. 
 

The journey towards gender parity, especially in the world of tech is going to be long and not one without resistance. Promoting STEM to female students, providing access to leadership positions to women, increasing female representation in decision making bodies, promoting female role models in tech and having increased support from male allies will be crucial to this journey. Savant Technology is informed by robust market research and labor statistics; we constantly strive to empower and represent great female talent in Tech. To understand more about how we can support you in creating gender diverse teams with exceptional tech talent, reach out to us at - technology@savantrecruitment.com