Although there has certainly been progress made, there is still a grave shortage of women in tech roles in 2022. Whilst gender parity has been largely achieved in many other challenging industries, the tech field is lagging behind, with a recent study by Deloitte finding that just 25% of technical roles in the 20 largest tech companies are currently held by women, and that they make up just 32.9% of these companies' general workforce.

No Shortage Of Talent

Women are entirely capable of carrying out these technical roles, so why is it still the case that female talent is so under-represented in the industry? After all, at the start of the computing age, the volume of female applicants to computer science degree courses was roughly the same as male . Yet this all appeared to change from the year 1984 onwards, which saw women's applications for computer science degrees dwindle to a mere 17.6% by 2010. There are a number of theories as to why this could be.

Common issues cited by women working in the tech industry include a masculine working culture, a lack of family-friendly working practices, and fewer chances for career development. Women are more likely to start their careers in entry-level positions, unlike their male colleagues who have comparable qualifications, and where women are in the same positions as their male peers, they typically find themselves being paid far less.

The result is that even those women who achieve degrees in key STEM subjects are leaving these professions early, with Forbes finding that they leave the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than their male counterparts. As a result, new starters to the industry are lacking the female role models and mentors who can encourage them to persist in their careers.

Do We Need More Women In Tech?

Some commentators have suggested that there is no real need to address the gender disparity in the tech industry, but this is a short-sighted and limited viewpoint. After all, it has been conclusively proven that having a good balance of employees across the genders increases the profitability of organisations, particularly when this diversity extends into leadership positions. Women bring a valuable perspective to the workplace, routinely offering a different way of approaching problems, and thereby improving the performance of an organisation.

Could The Future Be Brighter For Women In Tech?

The future certainly looks encouraging, as three-quarters of female teens now express an interest in a career in STEM fields. Schools are waking up to this interest and making sure that girls are included in learning coding and other topics that have perhaps previously been seen as stereotypically male interests.

Organisations can play their part, too, by taking the steps necessary to both retain existing female talent, and to encourage the next generation to join them. Providing a supportive, flexible working environment with equal pay for all genders can help to build confidence in women who might otherwise not apply for your key tech roles. Meanwhile, creating opportunities for career development, as well as female-centred mentorship programs, can all help to retain this talent for the long run. Progress will, of course, take time, but it is hoped that a better parity between the genders could be seen by the start of the next decade.

Partner With A Talent Specialist

It's clear, then, that the gender bias in technology must be overcome, for the benefit of both female candidates and businesses. A great way to ensure that your organisation can access the very best talent out there, regardless of gender, is to partner with the experts in talent recruitment. At Regal Cloud, we specialise in finding the most capable candidates and we can help your company to address its gender parity by actively sourcing a diverse pool of tech talent.

Why not get in touch today, at 26 Kings Hill Avenue, Kent, ME19 4AE, on 0208 004 9877, or at enquiries@regal-cloud.com, and discover how Regal Cloud can help you in encouraging diversity to build a more inclusive workplace.

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