Are organisations doing enough to achieve gender balance in the tech industry?

In a dynamic and rapidly growing tech industry, it is essential for the sector to recruit talent that unlocks innovation and creativity. It is a well-documented fact that workforce diversity brings several business benefits, enabling transformation and new problem-solving capabilities. However, despite best efforts, there remains a gender disparity in the UK's tech workforce, with only 5% of leadership positions in the sector held by women.

What are the reasons for this imbalance?

The barriers being faced by women pursuing a tech career are complex, with a lot of them being grounded in perceptions, stereotypes and gender norms that still perpetuate an image of women being less capable of developing outstanding tech skills than men. These then drive biases and systemic barriers, visible and invisible, that not only stop women from performing at their true potential in their tech roles, but also discourage them from advancing their careers any further, sometimes even forcing them to leave the workforce entirely.

Furthermore, research by PwC shows that the gender gap in technology begins at an early age, where females are often underserved in information about tech careers and perceive the sector as male-dominated. There also seems to be a ‘leaky pipeline’ of girls in STEM. Even though STEM subject uptake seems to be similar for both genders, and girls tend to outperform boys in GCSEs and A Levels – this quickly changes at a university level, where there are significantly fewer females studying for degrees in STEM subjects.  This underscores the critical need for female role models to shift the narrative and inspire change.

The Institute of Government & Public Policy is proud to continue building a reputation for delivering inspirational and empowering diversity, equity, and inclusion events. Following the success of our Women in Leadership conference, we're thrilled to announce our next groundbreaking event: Women in Tech.

Join us at the Women in Tech event for empowering and inspirational career-advancing insights from our industry experts, tackling the critical issues facing women in tech today. This event is a must-attend for advocates, and women working in or aspiring to break into the tech industry looking for mentorship, networking, and growth opportunities.

Early bird spaces are available. Enquire with one of our consultants now to avoid disappointment, as spaces are limited!