Things are looking up for women in the tech industry, according to new research from AND Digital, with 84% believing the industry has changed for the better.
In a poll of female tech leaders in the US, 83% said they feel they've succeeded as a leader while nine-in-ten said they enjoy being a leader in tech.
However, it's not all good news. While 47% of the US workforce is made up of women, in technology that falls to 25%, with leadership roles diving further to 11%.
According to the survey, three-quarters of respondents said their organization could do more to make the workplace better for women in leadership roles and 76% said they had encountered challenges because of their gender during their route to leadership.
These challenges included extra scrutiny, a lack of respect from men, a struggle to have their work recognized, and seeing male coworkers promoted ahead of them despite a lack of experience. Only six-in-ten said they believe leadership positions are equally accessible to men and women.
"It’s clear that the technology industry is finally making huge strides in the way it supports and empowers the next generation of female leaders," said Linda Benjamin, VP of product development at AND Digital.
"It’s one thing to increase the diversity of your headcount, it’s quite another to ensure those new hires remain supported, motivated and happy to continue in their careers."
More work needed
Despite women reporting those concerns, just four-in-ten said they've experienced gender discrimination, with a similar figure reporting witnessing it impacting others in the workplace.
"These findings should send a clear signal to CEOs and company founders that their hard work building more diverse teams has been worth the effort and that these positive changes will enable them to build more profitable and productive businesses.
Despite some progress, it's clear more work needs to be done — even if it's simply ensuring discrimination is recognized as such. A survey last year from recruitment firm Nigel Frank found that male respondents didn't believe there was real sexism prevalent in the technology sector.
That report found that only 6% of men believed that women suffered discrimination in the workplace, with four-in-five believing women were treated equally to men.
Work-life balance still needs addressed
The AND Digital report found that most companies, more than eight-in- ten, are seen as supporting work-life balance across genders, for senior positions, at least.
However, the survey also showed 57% of women still believe they aren’t managing to balance both sides of their lives, with family or caring commitments impacting their work.
That's echoed by previous research from Tech Talent Charter that revealed half of the women in the UK tech sector departed that industry over conflicts with caring commitments.
"With AI shaking up traditional working models, it’s crucial that forward-thinking businesses invest in the latest female tech talent, to ensure they can stay ahead of the competition and deliver better products and services," said Benjamin.
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