Women in IT – The Stats

According to research, if we don’t move faster towards gender parity, the absence of female participation in ICTs over the next two decades might cost the economy $11 billion.

So how is female representation in the IT industry looking?

• Women make up only around 1/3 in the tech-related workforce.
• In the tech industry, female turnover rate is more than two times the male rate.
• There are only 5 female CEOs from the 41 technology Fortune 500 companies.
• Women only account for 20% of IT graduates – when they make up over 50% of Australia’s tertiary graduates.
• In their organisation, 44% of women believe that men advance more quickly than they do.
• One in three women claim to encounter gender bias at work.
• Lack of opportunity for career advancement is cited by 28% of women leaving tech employment as the cause.

(Source: Bayside Group)

The main issues that should be addressed are…

1. Closing the pay gap
2. Work/Life balance especially when it comes to raising a family
3. Giving a job purpose and distributing it equally among genders
4. Establishing a clear path for professional development and recognising employees’ contributions to the firm
5. Motivating girls from an early age to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) degrees, as well as by offering mentorship and rewarding women in senior roles.

Diverse businesses are more likely to record growth, outperform rivals, and gain a competitive edge when it comes to meeting market demands. Putting policies and cutting-edge solutions into practice to overcome ingrained norms and enhance gender equality in the technology industry will help make sure that no one is left behind in this rapidly evolving technological landscape. Organisations can better support the advancement of women in technical roles by giving them opportunities to develop a wide range of skills and providing them with structured guidance on their professional development, in addition to implementing blind hiring practices that help remove personal biases from the talent acquisition process.

Sources:

Bayside Group – https://www.baysidegroup.com.au/employers/women-in-ict-in-statistics-how-does-your-company-stack-up#:~:text=Only%2024%25%20of%20computing%20jobs,experience%20gender%20bias%20at%20work

Deloitte –  https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/economics/articles/australias-digital-pulse.html

Alexa Trachim & Paulina Chmielewska (itCraft) – https://itcraftapps.com/blog/women-in-the-it-industry/