Why are there still so few women in tech?

What the research says & how to help

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May 23, 2023 2:01pm EDT

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Why are there still so few women in tech?

What the research says & how to help

May 23

What’s on our mind: How can we increase the representation of women?
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How can we increase the representation of women in tech?

Since Hustle Crew launched in 2016 there has been a significant push for greater gender diversity within the tech industry. More women than ever are working in IT roles across the UK for example (326,000 in total) and now make up a record 20% share of the specialist IT workforce (BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT).

Despite the strategies implemented to address gender imbalance, it’s no secret that the tech industry still remains predominantly white and male. It appears that being a woman, especially a woman of colour, remains a rarity in the industry.

According to data collected from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, “Black women are still heavily underrepresented in IT and, by comparison, across other occupations their level of representation is 2.5 times higher.”

As stated by Julia Adamson, Director for Education at BCS, “there is still some way to go towards true equality in our field; Black women make up less than one percent of IT specialists”.

According to Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE the founder of Stemettes, “The data is even more depressing when you look at women of colour who launch their own startups. Studies show venture capitalists are more likely to fund white males over minorities and women. This bleak but unsurprising snapshot has instigated a lengthy diversity debate and the pressure is on the industry to make a change.”

According to research from Builtin, “biased hiring processes limit Black workers’ opportunities in tech. Even when they do land tech jobs, black women can encounter many challenges their coworkers don’t, ranging from extra personal and work responsibilities to cultural misunderstanding and biases at work, as well as the ongoing effects of historic disinvestment and lack of generational wealth.”

We also know that the absence of senior women of colour leaders in tech discourages younger women of colour from pursuing a career in the industry. Dinah Cobbinah the first Black female partner in KPMG UK’s history states, “If organisations are serious about turning the dial and increasing opportunities for under-represented groups, things need to be done differently. Change cannot happen overnight, but we all need to build a sustainable pipeline of talent, rethink how and where we source talent, provide the career path and have visible role models. You need to see it to be it.”

If you want to be a part of the solution, try this:

Broaden your candidate search: If you find that your candidate pool is composed of individuals with similar educations, backgrounds, and experience levels, your search may be too narrow. Expand your candidate search by partnering with platforms that have access to underrepresented candidates.

Make your job descriptions as inclusive as possible: According to Forbes, “From a pipeline perspective, women of colour are also often misinformed about what is required to work in the field. The most important thing we must communicate to this audience is working in tech, such as being a computer support specialist, does not require a STEM background.”
Offer education opportunities to raise awareness: “A role model currently working in technology is more likely to influence girls to consider a career in tech. Today, only 37% of girls surveyed by CompTIA reported knowing a family member or friend who worked in IT. But 60% of girls who had considered an IT career had a family member or friend working in the field. The gap is particularly stark for women of color.” - Todd Thibodeaux, President and Chief Executive Officer of CompTIA, the leading non-profit trade association for the global technology industry and workforce.

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