We (Still) need more women in tech
In tech-related careers, there is a strong lack of diversity in the UK. Whether that’s gender or ethnicity, the tech industry is lagging behind.
The Office for National Statistics conducted a survey in 2019 looking into the IT and tech industry, the discovery found was a distinct lack of diversity in the technology sector.
As time goes on, businesses are more and more aware of the benefits of creating a diverse workforce, but judging by the statistics shown, there is much work still to be done in the IT and tech fields.
Despite women making up 49.8% of the workforce in the UK, in digital jobs, women make up only 25.5% of the workforce. This means that women make up only a quarter of the workforce in all digital roles. Which is clearly not enough and needs to be improved. It gets even worse… in Yorkshire, the percentage of women in digital jobs is even lower at only 19.3%.
Not only is there a gendered difference in the digital and tech industry, but there is also an age deficit as well. This is truly prominent in Hull. Despite under 35’s making up 41% of the workforce in Hull, the digital industry has only 35% of their workforce under 35. It means that there should be 6% more people working in the digital industry that are under the age of 35.
Why is there a lack of women in tech?
There are numerous reasons why women don’t seem to head into this area. But a large factor seems to be a lack of role models for women in the sector. Tech subjects are often seen as a “boys role”. However, there are lots of role models for women in the tech industry, we just don’t shout about them enough.
Another reason is, there are simply not enough women choosing technology-related careers. There has been an increase in recent years for women entering high levels in technology roles but, women are still the minority in these fields. This means when a vacancy is advertised in the IT sector, the amount of applicants who are women is far lower than that of men.
What can be done to encourage women into the tech industry?
It has to begin from the ground up, encouraging students from a young age to follow the passions they have, and helping remove gender barriers.
When we’re looking at how to solve the age demographic issues, giving technology more prominence in the school curriculum and showcasing tech careers outside of the technology industry can also help.
As we enter a more progressive society, we hope that naturally the differences in age and gendered demographics become more equal in careers. But at this stage work still needs to be done!
If you want to start your career in a digital role take a look at our IT/Digital Support and Digital Marketing apprenticeship vacancies.
Toby Greenfield
Toby is our Learner Engagement Marketing Apprentice and is involved with all things social media and content development. He is also responsible for attending careers events and delivering presentations. Toby is dedicated to showcasing the apprenticeship opportunities available for individuals and businesses to embark upon.
