Women are slowly reaching gender equality across many industries, yet the tech sector is still far behind. Although companies are becoming more dedicated to hiring quality employees regardless of their race, sexual orientation, and gender, women are still often discriminated against, underrepresented, and underpaid in IT roles.
The following women in tech statistics paint a picture of the obstacles women face to obtain equal representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics jobs.
Top Women in Tech Statistics: Editor’s Choice
- Women’s employment in GAFAM stands between 29% and 45%.
- Only 28% of women are employed in STEM.
- Merely 19% of females study engineering and technology.
- 79% of women think females should be in leadership roles.
- Female STEM workers gain 89 cents for every dollar a man makes.
- Gender discrimination in tech is seen as a barrier by 39% of women.
- Women are 50% more likely to leave their tech jobs before 35.
- 57% of women in tech experienced burnout due to COVID-19.
How Many Women Are in STEM: Women’s Prevalence in Tech
From the general workforce to management positions, statistics show that women are underrepresented in STEM careers. Gender stereotyping, lack of support, and harassment in tech schooling and work environments are some of the many reasons women may not find their final careers in the tech sector.
1. Women employed in GAFAM range from 29% to 45%.
GAFAM is an acronym that stands for Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft, better known as the five tech giants. The percentage of women in the workforce of these major tech companies are:
- Google – 33%
- Apple – 34%
- Facebook – 37%
- Amazon – 45%
- Microsoft – 29%
Furthermore, women hold just 26.5% of management positions and leadership roles in S&P 500 companies.
2. Women represent 28.6% of the Microsoft workforce.
Microsoft employee demographics have increased the number of women employed from 25.5% over the last three years.
Furthermore, women constitute 20% of Microsoft’s executive and partner-level positions, representing a 5% growth from three years before.
While growth is always promising in addressing the gender gap, Microsoft lags behind other GAFAM companies when it comes to opportunities for women.
3. Only 28% of women work in STEM industries.
STEM diversity statistics point out that the gender gap is most vast in computer science and engineering careers, two of the fastest-growing and highest-paid careers in the world today.
Women in STEM are most equally represented in the biological sciences taking up 46% of jobs in the industry. Chemistry and material sciences come in at a close second, with women holding 40.4% of jobs.
4. The STEM workforce is 89% white people.
Despite the push for further diversification of the workforce in the US, STEM demographics indicate that white men still dominate the science and tech industry. The underrepresentation of people of color in the American workforce is exemplified in STEM, with more than 10% less racial diversity than in any other industry.
5. Just 20% of women are computer science professionals.
The percentage of women employed in computer science has remained stagnant over the last decade. Low pay rates and a reported sexist ‘bro culture’ in computer science companies are major deterrents for changing the representation of women in this fast-developing sector.
Male to Female Ratio in the Technology Industry: Education and Representation of Women in Tech
The gender gap for science and tech jobs begins early. Girls are historically underrepresented in STEM education programs, especially engineering and technology. The lack of female diversity in schooling and visible women in leadership in these sectors is a significant factor contributing to this disparity.
6. Just 19% of students in engineering and technology are female.
Compared to other STEM fields, computer science and engineering have the least number of female students. This percentage of women in engineering and technology shows just how much these sectors remain male-dominated, without much advancement over the last few years.
7. 74% of middle school girls express an interest in STEM careers.
Men continue to dominate STEM college programs, and as a result, are better qualified for associated careers. Women in STEM stats reveal that just 0.4% of high school girls will go on to complete a college degree in computer science. Lack of female representation and encouraging mentorship in the maths and sciences throughout girls’ education is a leading cause of this gender gap.
8. The percentage of women in technology that agree more females should be in leadership roles is 79%.
Apart from promoting women in management positions, women reported that tech companies can better support women in the following ways:
- Equal maternity and paternity leave (55%)
- Unconscious bias training (57%)
- Flexible work scheduling and locations (64%)
- Mentorship opportunities (72%)
Diversity in Tech Statistics for 2021: Inequality in the Workplace
Encouraging women to enter the STEM workplace is just one step to addressing the gender gap for women in tech. Gender discrimination in the workplace also plays out in harassment, unequal pay, and lack of opportunity for promotions.
9. 78% of women feel they need to work harder than their coworkers to prove themselves, according to women in tech trends.
Compared to the three-quarters of women who felt the need to do more in order to be recognized at work, only 54% of men felt the same pressure.
Additionally, women working in the tech industry are 22% more likely to experience impostor syndrome, the feeling that one doesn’t deserve to be in the position that they are in.
10. Women in STEM are paid 89 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Addressing the wage gap in the labor force is an ongoing issue worldwide, but STEM has a longer way to go than many industries.
For example, the salary for women in science sectors such as chemistry, statistics show, is 30% less than their male counterparts.
11. 72% of women in tech agree men outnumber them in business meetings by 2:1.
Women aren’t the only ones that notice inequality in the meeting room, with the majority of men agreeing with the ratio reported by women.
Notably, 26% of women report upwards of a 5:1 female to male ratio in the technology industry for 2021. This lack of representation reduces female participation in their field and encourages the feeling of ‘bro culture’ in STEM office environments.
12. In 2021, 39% of women perceive gender bias in the tech sector as a barrier to promotion.
When it comes to gender discrimination in the workplace, statistics show that women are four times less likely to get a promotion than men.
Apart from sexism in the workplace, racial discrimination is even more prevalent. 37% of women of color say racial bias is a massive obstacle in the technology sector.
13. 50% of women quit their tech jobs before 35.
The inability for tech companies to retain female workers before they even reach the mid-stage of their careers indicates several issues.
Sexism in the tech industry, lack of opportunity for advancement, and little support for parental leave are all contributing factors to why women leave their careers so early.
14. In contrast to 5.9% of men aged over 35, 20.4% of women of the same age remain in entry-level positions.
Largely, women are more likely to hold entry-level positions in tech no matter what their age or experience. With only 16% of women in senior-level positions, unconscious gender bias plays a significant role.
Notably, women’s role in technology has seemingly been delegated toward non-technical jobs, while men dominate technical roles.
International Tech Industry Diversity Statistics
The absence of women in the tech industry is a worldwide phenomenon. While prevalence varies by country, the trends remain constant. Additionally, women worldwide felt the impact of COVID-19 on their careers more than their male counterparts.
15. In India, the prevalence of women in the IT sector is just 26%.
Despite the growing number of women in STEM fields, the male to female ratio in the information technology industry for 2021 in India has shown a widening gender gap. As of last year, men are three times more likely to work in these industries.
16. Only 23% of people working in STEM roles in the UK are women.
The male to female ratio in the technology industry in the UK shows similar disparities to those in the United States. Most notably, in STEM, only 5% of women in the UK are in positions of leadership or are entrepreneurs. This lack of representation reflects in the number of women interested in participating in STEM, with only 3% of girls reporting they plan to pursue a career in tech.
17. 46% of European women say they experience gender discrimination in the tech industry.
Barriers to women working in tech don’t just stop after being hired. Experiencing discrimination and harassment in the workplace is a prominent issue for women working in male-dominated jobs, as statistics show that more than 50% of women working in STEM have experienced gender discrimination.
18. As of March 2020, 95% of women in tech worked from home at least part-time.
Out of the 6,500 women surveyed by Kaspersky, technology industry statistics showed how about half of them said COVID-19 hurt their tech careers. Notably, it may not have been the actual remote work that caused this perception, but rather the increased demands of balancing home and work in the same environment.
19. As a result of the pandemic, 57% of women working in tech fields felt burnout at work.
Compared to 36% of men, TrustRadius reported that women in tech suffered from employee burnout the most in 2021. Being forced to work from home, female employees felt their duties multiplied, as home responsibilities and child education also added to their total workload, leading to more symptoms of burnout than their male counterparts.
The Future of Women in Tech Statistics: The Takeaway
With the beginning of the new decade, companies are under more pressure than ever to create inclusive and rewarding work environments for women. Especially for STEM, women in tech stats show a wider gap to close than most industries across the labor force.
By addressing common barriers to women participating in tech from education to the workplace, new companies and startups can support women’s involvement in science and technology from their onset. Diversity supports innovation, and as the world enters into a new era, women of all backgrounds are ready to be part of the solutions of tomorrow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which information technology job has the highest growth rate?
Computer and information technology occupations are the fastest-growing out of all STEM sectors. Currently, employment in information technology is estimated to grow 11% over the 2019–2029 decade. Cloud computing, the collection of big data, and information security will be primarily responsible for creating 531,200 new jobs.
However, database administration is the field with the highest growth rate, projected to increase by 10% between 2019 and 2029. The reason behind its considerable growth is driven by the enhanced data needs of companies across the economy.
What is the percentage of women working in tech?
When discussing tech positions, there’s no doubt that women represent the minority in both the general workforce and managerial positions. A 2020 study revealed that women account for 28.8% of the tech workforce, a slight increase from the previous year.
Furthermore, women employed in the top 10 tech companies account for only 19% of employees against 81% of men. Out of these numbers, 28% of women are in leadership positions compared with 72% of men.
What percentage of programmers are female?
Although computing includes some of the highest-paid jobs, the presence of a ‘bro culture’ and sexism are still very prevalent. Presently, women hold 24% of the jobs in computing—a level that has never grown since 2011.
Putting more women in leadership positions is one way to inspire increased female participation in this male-dominated field. By creating a safer environment, female programmers can see themselves in the fastest growing industry in tech and be part of building our world’s tomorrow.
How many women are in technology worldwide?
Women who use technology in the workplace accounted for only 25% of the workforce in 2018. While the number of female students who want to pursue a career in technology is steadily growing, gender equality is still far behind in this sector.
What percentage of females are engineers?
Female engineers are still highly underrepresented in the workforce worldwide. Women in tech statistics show that only 13% of Canadian engineers are women, while in Europe, the situation is slightly better. Latvia, Bulgaria, and Cyprus are in the lead, with 30% of women holding engineering jobs. In sharp contrast, the UK holds the lowest number of female engineering professionals, standing at a mere 11%.
Sources
AAUW, Built by Me, Business Insider, Computer Science, Discover Data Science, Diversity Q, Geek Wire, ISE, NBC, PWC, Sea Grant, Statista, STEM Women, TrustRadius