Women remain underrepresented in technology roles and have, in fact, lost ground in recent decades.
According to the US Department of Labor, women held 24% of positions in the computer occupations sector at the end of 2022, down from a high of 44% in 1990.
The 2024 State of the Tech Workforce from IT training and certification association CompTIA noted a similar gender gap in the field, finding that women make up just 27% of tech occupations.
Worse, a significant percentage of women in tech want to leave.
AnitaB.org, a global nonprofit focused on recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in technology, reports that half of women in tech leave the industry by age 35, an attrition rate 45% higher than for men in IT.
And according to a survey conducted for the 2024 Women in Tech Report by Skillsoft, 31% of women technologists are considering leaving their organizations in the coming 12 months, with 37% considering switching jobs in the next year and only 27% of women in tech saying they were extremely satisfied with their jobs.
Contributing factors to women eyeing the exit
A mix of factors are behind those numbers, according to multiple reports, surveys, and sources. “I don’t know if there is one particular thing we can put our finger on,” notes Heather Leier-Murray, research director in the CIO practice at Info-Tech Research Group.
To be clear, many women leave for better opportunities or because of a mismatch with their current employer’s workplace culture — factors that aren’t related to gender and likewise prompt men to leave their roles, says Kristen Lamoreaux, president and CEO of Lamoreaux Search.
On the other hand, women still often leave because of gender-based issues, says Lamoreaux, who co-authored a research articled titled “Why the Gender Wage Gap in IT Matters and What to Do About It,” published in December 2024 in MIS Quarterly Executive.
As the title lays out, the fact that women still earn less than their male counterparts for equal work is a big reason why women leave, says Lamoreaux, who is also founder of SIM Women, which promotes communication, mentorship, leadership, and career development among the female members of the Society for Information Management. Workplace discrimination and sexual harassment play roles, too.
She also says the lack of flexibility in work schedules in many places drives out women, who studies show still preform the bulk of family work and caregiving.
Women also often encounter a lack of community due to the low numbers of women in the profession, making it harder for them to find mentors and sponsors who share their workplace experiences and challenges, says Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, a longtime IT and cybersecurity professional.
Similarly, she says the low percentage of women in the upper ranks is a factor, as some women consider it a signal that there is no path to senior leadership. (The 2023 Global Leadership Forecast from global leadership development and human resources consulting firm DDI found that only 28% of IT leadership roles were filled by women.)
“They are not encouraged by other peer women because there aren’t any peer women in the room,” says Benoit-Kurtz, now lead cybersecurity faculty at the University of Phoenix’s College of Business and Information Technology.
There are unconscious biases, too, says Leier-Murray. For example, she says women are often told to be “more assertive” to advance, regardless of whether that’s their leadership style or whether their own approach already gets desired results.
Additionally, the lack of flexible work schedules and IT’s typically long hours, combined with women’s extra hours for caregiving, leave them less time for the upskilling and networking needed to advance, says Alexandra Urban, learning science research lead and senior solution consultant with online learning platform maker Coursera.
These factors overlap and interact over time to create what is known as a positive feedback loop, where the existing elements work together to reinforce and exacerbate the scenario in play, says Urban, researcher for Coursera’s 2025 Closing the Gender Gap in GenAI Skills playbook
“Add it all together and it’s nearly impossible for many women to balance their professional aspirations with their personal responsibilities,” Anitab.org states in an online post.
Such issues aren’t unique to IT or the broader tech space.
Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report from consultancy McKinsey & Co. says, “Women continue to face barriers at the beginning of the pipeline. They remain less likely than men to be hired into entry-level roles, which leaves them underrepresented from the start. Then, women are far less likely than men to attain their very first promotion to a manager role — a situation that’s not improving. In 2018, for every 100 men who received their first promotion to manager in 2018, 79 women were promoted; this year, just 81 women were. Because of this ‘broken rung’ in the corporate ladder, men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, making it incredibly difficult for companies to support sustained progress at more senior levels. This phenomenon is even worse for women of color, who represent only 7% of current C-suite positions — just a four-percentage-point increase since 2017.”
Many executives don’t recognize the situation, says Lydia Wilson, chief people officer at Dexian, a provider of staffing, IT, and workforce solutions.
She points to her company’s 2024 Humankindex Study that finds “many companies still have on rose-colored glasses.” For example, 67% of employers told researchers that they felt their companies increasingly embrace empathy while only 46% of employees said as much.
“There is this disconnect where employers think it’s not as bad as people say it is,” Wilson says.
Finding the right fit
Women should, can, and do take action to thrive in their technical careers — and studies, analysts or expert sources aren’t suggesting otherwise.
Info-Tech Research Group, for example, has a 12-week Women Leading IT program to coach women on architecting their careers, and Leier-Murray says she advises women to create a career plan as well as enlist mentors and sponsors to help them reach their goals.
Benoit-Kurtz echoes that, saying, “Women have to advocate for themselves and surround themselves with a network — educators, managers, a personal board of directors — who can help them develop a career path.”
However, Benoit-Kurtz, Leier-Murray, and others note that women often face extra hurdles in taking those actions for all the reasons listed above.
Meanwhile, Lamoreaux stresses the importance of women — and, indeed, all workers — finding workplaces whose cultures match their needs and their own values to help ensure success. Some workers thrive in hard-charging work environments, others do better in more creative, collaborative spaces. There’s no one culture that works for everyone or every organization, Lamoreaux says, noting, however, that they all should have a “culture of respect” where people feel empowered to contribute.
How CIOs can help
CIOs, too, can take action — either with their peers or with HR teams, sources say.
Look inward, with data: Leier-Murray recommends CIOs start by examining their departments, looking at data to understand employee engagement, turnover triggers, and employee experience — what she terms “moments that matter.”
Put simply, ask: Stay interviews and exit interviews can help gather insights, she says, adding that understanding one’s organization is an ongoing exercise. Then CIOs and their leadership team must put that information to work, addressing areas that inquiries turn up, Leier-Murray says.
Facilitate mentorship and networking: Benoit-Kurtz advises IT execs to ensure that women on their team have mentors, networks, and advocates as well as development plans.
Embrace flexible work strategies: Benoit-Kurtz, who has balanced career and, earlier, single-motherhood and now caring for elderly relatives, also advises enterprise leaders to have flexible schedules for workers. That, she and others say, goes beyond offering remote work or hybrid options to include flexibility in when an employee works.
Establish internal support networks: Lamoreaux advises CIOs to have communities such as employee resource groups, which provide guidance and support to members, and other spaces where “where team members can connect, challenge each other, noting that having these has been shown to be “a great retention strategy.”
Foster inclusive culture: Just as importantly CIOs should build a culture where people know they can share their thoughts and contribute their talents without being shut down, sidelined or disrespected, she says.
Ensure equitable opportunity for advancement: Meanwhile, Urban stresses the importance of CIOs ensuring women employees are building skills and have access to training, growth opportunities and promotions. Of course, Urban says, CIOs should ensure these are available to all workers as they’re key for retention, but they can have a higher impact on retaining women because such a high percentage of women are leaving IT.
“Retaining women in IT requires CIOs to prioritize creating an inclusive environment where everyone is valued and has equal opportunities for growth,” says Jenni Troutman, director of products and services for AWS Training and Certification at Amazon Web Services. As an example, she points to a survey commissioned by AWS that reveals women are eager to upskill in generative AI but many organizations have not provided adequate training.
The bigger picture
Troutman and others note, too, that such moves — especially fostering equitable advancement opportunities — benefit the organization, and the bottom line.
“The technology industry has been grappling with a skills gap, which poses a major barrier to digital transformation,” she says, citing a World Economic Forum report that found 63% of employers identify the skills shortage as a critical issue for the 2025-2030 period.
That issue is sure to have an impact on the bottom line, as analyst firm IDC found that 62% of organizations missed revenue goals in 2024 due to IT staff shortages.
Moreover, multiple studies over the years have found that organizations with diverse teams outperform those that do not. The December 2023 report Diversity Matters Even More from McKinsey & Co., for example, found that companies with representation of women exceeding 30% “are significantly more likely to financially outperform those with 30% or fewer.”
“Data continues to show diversity in workforces delivers ROI,” says Urban. “The company performs better, they make more money, and they have more creative solutions.”
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Read More from This Article: Why women leave your IT organization — and how to help reverse that talent drain
Source: News