Making a Difference: How Women in Tech are Transforming the Industry.

The tech industry looks completely different to how it did 20 years’ ago. Yes there have been fantastic advancements in technology itself, but let’s focus on the culture and the gender make up of the workplace.

Tech has always been male-dominated, but that’s starting to change. There’s a recognition of a need to change. A want to change. And change is beginning to happen. Female leadership numbers have increased, the number of female workers has increased and the spotlight on gender equality has never been stronger. There’s more to do, that goes without saying, but there are businesses and initiatives driving forward the transformation of the industry in a truly exciting way.

Pushing the boundaries

The tech industry is bursting with options, ideas and opportunities. The size of the industry alone demonstrates the impact it can have on wider society and tech firms are starting to sit up and notice that.

It makes sense then that women are pushing the boundaries from within the industry. According to Deloitte the percentage of female workers in the overall global tech workforce has increased by 6.9% since 2019. With the fastest growth area, with a gain of around 20%, in the number of women in leadership roles.

Many tech companies have publicly pledged a commitment to improving gender diversity within their workforce both in technical and leadership roles. HP have set their ambitions at 50% gender equality at director level and above by 2030. Intel wants to double the number of women and underrepresented minorities in leadership roles by 2030. With big players in the industry making such public promises it shows that change is happening and women are becoming more prominent in the industry.

Broadening horizons and ideas

Recently more and more studies have been published which prove the tangible benefits to a business from having women in senior leadership positions. The most gender-diverse businesses see a 21% increase in profitability.

With women firmly established in a tech business, they bring with them a fresh perspective and insight. For those tech companies focused on products and services for women that insight is invaluable and you can see how they start to become more profitable.

Beyond that the rise of women in the tech industry also impacts the overall diversity of a firm, helping improve the representation of all minority groups. Female leaders are generally better communicators, more empathetic and handle crises better than their male counterparts. All of which shifts corporate culture and opens the industry up even more for women in both technical and leadership roles.

The transformation of the industry for women comes from those pioneering women who have managed to break through the glass ceiling and are paving the way for future generations of young women.

Game changing women

While tech firms are moving in the right direction, there’s a long way to go. That’s why initiatives that drive forward gender equality are so important. Right now only 20% of those studying technical subjects are women. That has to change for the industry to transform. Thankfully, there are specific projects targeting women in tech looking to change the game.

23 Code Street |  A London based coding school for women and non-binary people who want to launch their career in tech or simply to upskill. Their mission is to tackle gender disparity and create a tech workforce that reflects our society.

Brown Girl, Tech World | This organisation’s focus to create a safe space for women and girls of colour to advance in the tech industry. By providing scholarships, grants and real life examples they inspire and create an accessible path for success.

Code First Girls | Provide coding training to women at no cost to them. Helping them gain the training and knowledge they need to succeed in a tech role at some of the world’s biggest companies.

Gapsquare | This Bristol based initiative help employeres to become more inclusive and work with them to solve challenges around gender inequality and pay gaps. Their tech tool produces recommendations to create a fairer, more diverse workplace.

Stemettes | Inspiring the next generation of female and non-binary people into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths by providing diverse role models of those succeeding in a STEM career.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many great initiatives that are campaigning for change, and helping put the wheels in motion to transform the tech industry and to help establish women in that transformation.

The industry is changing, but there’s so much more that needs to be done before the tech industry is a safe and successful sphere for a woman’s career. The great news is that the big players are recognising the positive role women can play and making public commitments so they can be held to account. Now it’s time to pull everything together and to make that transformation happen.

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