The number of women in the technology space has been dropping over the past years. At 32%, the share of women working in tech is now lower than it was in 1984, when it was 35%, according to a report by Techopedia. And the percentage of women in tech leadership roles fell to 28% in 2023.
“There was a real optimism and drive to work towards equality within the industry, starting back in the year right in the 80s. But that’s eroded somewhat over the past number of years,” says Trish Sale, VP of product, iQmetrix. “I have seen that as well. Sometimes, the climate that young women encounter – once they get into the industry – isn’t what they were led to expect that they might see [and] there continue to be some challenges within workplaces to drive towards true inclusion and true respect for everyone who is in the workplace.” According to LinkedIn’s “Jobs on the Rise 2024” report, out of the 20 jobs listed as most quickly on the rise, 12 are largely held by men, many with wide gender gaps, especially in tech roles that dominate the list. What is the female representation in the technology industry? About a third (32%) of women in technical and engineering roles are often the only women in the room at work, according to Techopedia. And 50% of women in tech roles leave them by the age of 35.
