In 2015, The Sustainable Development Agenda was adopted by UN Member States. It set a 2030 deadline for the achievement of gender equality, and the empowerment of all women and girls. As of 2022, the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by the 2030 deadline, according to a report from UN Women.
For many women working in the tech sector in the UK, this won’t be particularly shocking news. According to the most recent Women in Tech survey, women still only account for around 26 per cent of those working in IT. It’s an improvement of 19 per cent in 2019, but the study’s authors say “much more work needs to be done to get to a place of gender balance.”
The problem starts early: 22 per cent of respondents think that the main reason women put off tech careers is due to early misconceptions that stem from a lack of education in young girls.
But 90 per cent believe that the tech sector would benefit from a gender-equal workforce, and that by seeing more female role models in tech, young girls and women will start to see the sector as a place for realistic and attractive career options.
When it comes to the gender pay gap, things don’t look much better. The gap between the pay of men and women is currently 9.4 per cent in the UK.
Measures are in place to help close this pay gap, such as the government’s Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations, which came into effect in 2017. Any employer with 250 or more employees must report its gender pay gap data, with information available in a public database.
Given all the above, it is not surprising that a recent Skillsoft survey found that 40 per cent of women in tech careers in EMEA are considering switching roles over the next year.
“Despite the efforts of organisations to make diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace a greater priority, our research shows that the gender gap remains quite wide, and significant work is needed to achieve true parity at all levels,” says Orla Daly, chief information officer at Skillsoft.
There are a number of factors influencing womens’ decisions to switch roles. Thirty percent would consider looking for a new job thanks to a lack of professional development, and 10 per cent because of a lack of diversity and inclusion (D&I) measures.
Women in tech are looking to move jobs for other reasons too. Flexible working is vital for 66 per cent of respondents, and 56 per cent said professional development and training opportunities were also extremely important.
“Organisations are facing a critical need for technology and leadership competencies. This presents a mutual growth opportunity that helps organisations thrive and empowers women to increase their impact by filling these critical gaps,” Daly says.
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