52 Women in Technology Statistics: 2024 Data on Female Tech Employees

The tech industry is always one step ahead when it comes to innovation, as technology trends show. However, there’s one thing the sector seems to be lagging behind on—gender diversity. Though women now make up almost half (47%) of the United States labor force, as women in technology statistics show, they are still underrepresented in the tech field. From education to employment and business, being a woman in the tech industry comes with many challenges. Women in tech do not have the most conducive environments to thrive.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the latest statistics on this topic. These include the workplace, business, and education. We’ll also look at how the COVID-19 pandemic affected women working in tech. Moreover, we will discuss some ways to increase gender equality in the workplace.

1. General Women in Technology Statistics

An increased focus on gender diversity is one of the workplace trends we predicted. It’s important in business because a diverse workforce contributes to ideas and skills used in developing products and services that don’t just cater to one aspect of society. There are also supporting studies that show diversity pays off for companies.

• Companies that score high in gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability (Dixon-Fyle, Dolan, Hunt, & Prince, 2020).
• Companies with more than 30% women executives were more likely to outperform companies that only have between 10% and 30% (Dixon-Fyle, Dolan, Hunt, & Prince, 2020).
• When it comes to work performance, companies with high gender diversity outperform those with low diversity by as much as 48% (Dixon-Fyle, Dolan, Hunt, & Prince, 2020).
• Teams that are gender-diverse are better at making business decisions 73% of the time (Hak, 2019).
• Unfortunately, only a small fraction of leaders in companies are women. In fact, out of all the Fortune 500 companies in 2020, only 37 women are CEOs (Hinchliffe, 2020)

Representation by state and in GAFAM

There is still a huge difference in the male to female ratio in the technology industry 2020. Both globally and in the US tech market, gender distribution shows a predominantly male sector.

• Biotech company 23andMe is the only global tech company with a majority female workforce (51%) (Clement, 2020).
• Nationally, the composition of the tech sector workforce in 2019 consisted of 5.1 million men and 2.5 million women, translating to 67% and 33%, respectively (CompTIA, 2020).
• By state, the District of Columbia had the greatest gender balance in the tech sector, with 60.3% male and 39.7% female (CompTIA, 2020).
• There is one female for every two males in the US tech industry (Clement, 2020).
• The tech occupation categories with the highest percentage of women include computer operators, assemblers, systems analysts, web developers, information systems managers, database administrators, and computer network support specialists (CompTIA, 2020).

GAFAM is the top 5 US tech stocks Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft. For this group, there is also a low ratio of female workers versus male.

• Female employees in Microsoft make up 28% (lowest), while it’s 42% in Amazon (highest) (Richter, 2020).
• For leadership jobs, Facebook has the highest percentage of female executives (33%); the lowest is Microsoft, 25% (Richter, 2020).
• As of 2020, 44.6% of Amazon’s global workforce are female while 55.4% are men. As for employees in managerial positions, only 29.3% are women (Amazon, 2020).
• For actual tech jobs, the percentage becomes lower. Only 23% for Apple, Google, and Facebook. 20% for Microsoft. (Richter, 2020).

2. Women in Technology Education Statistics

The gender gap in the tech industry can be traced back to the schooling years of female students. There are many factors that directly and indirectly affect a female student’s decision to major in tech or STEM subjects.

• Only 16% of female students have had a career in technology suggested to them versus 33% of males (PricewaterhouseCoopers, n.d.).
• Moreover, the lack of female role models in tech is also reinforcing the idea that it’s a man’s world. When respondents were asked to name a famous woman in tech, only 22% were able to do so (PricewaterhouseCoopers, n.d.).
• While 74% of young women (i.e. high-school-aged and lower) express interest in STEM, only 18% end up choosing STEM/computer science pathways (University of Washington, n.d.).

Globally, women are less likely to study STEM subjects.

• Female students in the UK are less likely to study STEM subjects preuniversity (64%) and as a university subject (30%) (PricewaterhouseCoopers, n.d.).
• Also, only 27% of female students said they would consider pursuing a tech career compared with 61% of males (PricewaterhouseCoopers, n.d.).
• In the US, women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce but men made up 73% of all STEM workers (Martinez & Christnacht, 2021).
• Women only earn 18% of computer science bachelor’s degrees in the US (Computerscience.org, 2021).
• Only 20% of computer science professionals are women (Computerscience.org, 2021).
• The country Georgia has the highest percentage of women working in STEM fields (56%) (ILO, 2020).

3. Women in Technology Workplace Statistics

More than half of the US workforce is composed of female workers; however, the tech industry is not one of those sectors that hire the majority of working women. Moreover, statistics reveal how women face extreme challenges in a male-dominated workplace. These challenges include gender discrimination, unequal pay, and sexual harassment.

Tech-jobs statistics

• Women are now the majority of the US workforce (50.04%). But as we pointed out, only 28% are in STEM occupations and only 20% are in computer science occupations. The two top industries that employ women are healthcare and retail (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021).
• Less than 30% of propriety software and IT jobs are held by women (V-Soft Consulting, n.d.).
• In another study from women technologists organization AnitaB.org, women technologists make up 28.8% of the tech workforce (AnitaB.org, 2020).
• Small tech companies with less than 1,000 people employ the most female employees (30.2%) (AnitaB.org, 2020).
• Among female tech employees, 14.1% are white women, 9.6% are Asian women, 2.2% are black women, and 1.7% are Latin women (AnitaB.org, 2020).
• Lastly, in computing-related occupations, 15.3% are white women, 6.6% are Asian women, 3.1% are black women, and 2.2% are Latin women (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020).

Discrimination and harassment in the workplace

• 40% of women believe companies don’t spend enough time addressing diversity in the workplace (Miteva, 2019).
• In the UK, 49% of women in STEM have experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace (Agarwal, 2020).
• Also, 60% believe that the lack of diversity in the tech workplace is a serious issue (Agarwal, 2020).

Compensation statistics

• 52% of women in tech companies care about compensation compared with 33% of men (IDC, 2019).
• While 75% of men think their employees offer equal pay to male and female employees, only 42% of women think the same (IDC, 2019).
• Moreover, women in tech earn 17.5% less in wages than men: $100,895 on average versus $122,234 (Gruman, 2020).

4. Statistics on Why Women Quit Tech

The tech industry is still not able to keep women workers as many eventually leave their tech jobs even before reaching the mid-stage of their careers according to recruitment statistics. Based on reasons cited by women who left the industry, inclusivity, opportunities, and safety need to be addressed in order to attract and convince more women to stay in tech roles.

• 50% of women leave their tech jobs by age 35 (Accenture, 2020).
• Women are leaving their tech jobs at a 45% higher rate than men (Maynard, 2021).
• Moreover, only 21% of women said they believed the technology industry was a place they could thrive. This number drops to 8% for women of color (Accenture, 2020).
• Only 38% of women who majored in computer science are working in the field compared with 53% of men. Similarly, only 24% of women with engineering degrees still work in engineering, compared to 30% of men (NSF, 2019).
• Furthermore, 20% of female employees in STEM have resigned due to discrimination and harassment in the workplace (Agarwal, 2020).
• The most common reasons why women leave their tech jobs include weak management support (23%), lack of opportunity (20%), and lack of work-life balance (22%) (Capital One, 2019).

5. Women in Technology Leadership and Business Statistics

Though women have been making progress in leadership and business as shown on entrepreneurship statistics, funding and opportunities are not abundant in the tech sector. When it comes to climbing the corporate ladder in tech, fewer women are able to do so. It seems like the higher the job position goes, the fewer opportunities there are for women tech leaders.

• 40% of US businesses are owned by women (Shepherd, 2020).
• However, in 2019, only 2.8% of global venture capital funding went to women-led startups; in 2020, that dropped to 2.3% (Teare, 2020).
• For startups that had a female founder, 87% said it was “somewhat or extremely challenging,” to find funding, while only 78% of startups with no female founder said the same (Silicon Valley Bank, 2020).
• In the tech industry, there are fewer leadership roles held by women—19% as tech senior vice presidents and 15% as CEOs (Felicetti, n.d.).
• Only 1 in 4 startups has a female founder. Thirty-seven percent have at least 1 female on the board of directors and 53% have at least 1 female in an executive position (Silicon Valley Bank, 2020).
• 20.4% of women in tech over the age of 35 remain in junior-level positions compared to just 5.9% of men over the age of 35 (HackerRank, 2019).

6. Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Technology

The pandemic has hit women workers with greater force as they shoulder a heavier burden of juggling work, childcare, and caregiving. But the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on women in technology is not all bad. Some actually prefer remote work over in-office setup and some felt more productive working from home.

• In August and September of 2020, 865,000 women left the workforce, compared to 216,000 men (NWLC, 2020).
• However, even before COVID-19, more working women have been experiencing burnout (68%) compared to men (58%) (Schiavo, 2020).
• 95% of women in tech have been working from home at least part-time since March 2020 (Kaspersky, 2021).
• Moreover, 47% of women believe the disruptions brought about by COVID-19 have delayed their career progression (Kaspersky, 2021).
• When remote work and shelter at home orders started, 70% of female employees have experienced burnout in their jobs, 51% experienced work-related stress weekly, and 69% experienced work-related burnout (Schiavo, 2020).
• What’s more, 60% of women working in tech said they handle most of the house chores, while 63% of mothers working in tech said they are also responsible for their children’s homeschooling (Kaspersky, 2021).
• 34% of respondents said they prefer remote work, 31% believe they are more efficient when working remotely, and 33% said working remotely has given them more autonomy (Kaspersky, 2021).
• Lastly, 46% said that remote work has improved gender equality (Kaspersky, 2021).

7. Key Organizations Supporting Women in Technology

Numerous organizations and initiatives are helping empower and support women in the tech industry. These organizations provide mentorship, educational resources, networking opportunities, and more. Here are some key players:

• Women Who Code: A global nonprofit, Women Who Code is one of the largest organizations that inspires women to pursue technology careers. It offers coding resources, leadership development, and networking opportunities for women across the tech industry.
• Girls Who Code: Focused on closing the gender gap in technology, Girls Who Code offers free coding clubs, summer immersion programs, and a range of online resources to inspire girls from middle school to college to pursue careers in technology.
• TechWomen: A program by the U.S. Department of State, TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia to the United States for mentorship, exchange, and professional development.
• AnitaB.org: Founded in honor of computer science pioneer Anita Borg, this nonprofit organization advocates for the inclusion of women in computing and technology. It hosts the annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the largest gathering of women technologists globally.
• National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT): NCWIT aims to increase women’s participation in computing through initiatives and programs targeting K-12 students and professionals. It works with educators, employers, and policymakers to build a more inclusive tech ecosystem.

Closing the Gender Gap in the Tech Industry

The statistics above provide more evidence on the prevailing gender gap in IT and tech companies. Though there are more women now in the workforce, the tech industry is still very much a man’s world. So, how do techs get more women to enter the field and thrive in their tech careers? 

To close this gender gap, organizations and educators need to start introducing tech careers to female students even before they enter post-secondary education. The non-profit organization Girls Who Code is a good example of a group applying this strategy. Introducing prominent women in tech role models to young female students can also inspire them to choose a technology pathway in college. It can also help them see that tech jobs are not exclusive to men.

Aside from starting girls early on coding and tech, it’s also crucial to address the different challenges in the workplace we highlighted in these statistics. That’s because we cannot increase gender diversity in tech if women technologists keep on leaving their roles due to issues like lack of professional growth, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Organizations must also devise and implement strategies that focus on creating an inclusive and safe work environment for women in technology.

Finally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in tech is a mix of good and bad. Even with countries rolling out vaccines, remote work might be here to stay for the long-haul, especially for the tech industry. For this reason, it’s best to read up on the latest work from home trends that can help you adapt to the state of work post-pandemic.

Key Insights

• Gender diversity significantly impacts business performance, with diverse executive teams leading to higher profitability and better decision-making.
• Women remain underrepresented in the tech industry, comprising only 28% of STEM workers and 20% of computer science professionals.
• The tech sector shows a pronounced gender imbalance, with female workers significantly underrepresented in companies like Microsoft and Facebook.
• Education statistics reveal a stark gender gap, with only 18% of women earning computer science degrees and even fewer pursuing tech careers.
• Workplace challenges for women in tech include gender discrimination, unequal pay, and high rates of harassment, leading to a higher turnover rate among women.
• Leadership roles in tech are scarce for women, with only 19% of senior vice presidents and 15% of CEOs being female.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a mixed impact, with many women experiencing increased burnout but also finding remote work to enhance efficiency and autonomy.
• Strategies to close the gender gap include early introduction of tech careers to girls, addressing workplace discrimination, and promoting a safe, inclusive environment.

FAQ

1. What is the current gender distribution in the tech industry? Women make up 28% of STEM workers and 20% of computer science professionals in the US. The sector remains predominantly male, with significant underrepresentation of women in both technical and leadership roles.
2. How does gender diversity impact business performance in tech? Companies with high gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability. Diverse teams are also better at making business decisions 73% of the time.
3. What are some challenges women face in the tech workplace? Women in tech face gender discrimination, unequal pay, and high rates of harassment. These challenges contribute to higher turnover rates and difficulties in career advancement.
4. How does the education system contribute to the gender gap in tech? Only 18% of women earn computer science degrees, and even fewer pursue tech careers. The lack of female role models and encouragement to enter STEM fields further perpetuates the gender gap.
5. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on women in tech? The pandemic has led to increased burnout among women but has also made remote work more common. Many women find remote work improves their efficiency and autonomy, and it may help enhance gender equality in the long run.
6. What strategies can help close the gender gap in the tech industry? Introducing tech careers to girls early, promoting female role models, addressing workplace discrimination, and creating a safe, inclusive work environment are key strategies to close the gender gap in tech.

References

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2. Agarwal, P. (2020). Gender Bias in STEM: Women in Tech Still Facing Discrimination. Retrieved from Forbes
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By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.