The next generation of women in tech doesn't need inspiration. They need infrastructure
The tech industry has a clear problem retaining female workers. In the UK, it's thought that between 40,000 and 60,000 women exit tech roles every year, a loss that costs the economy £2 billion to £3.5 billion in lost productivity.
This churn is not due to a lack of ambition: research from KPMG shows that 64% of professional women aspire to senior leadership positions. Nor is it down to a lack of confidence or self-belief: 87% of women express confidence in their role and 81% are confident in their leadership capabilities.
Why women leave tech
There are, however, a number of proximate causes for why tech companies are haemorrhaging female workers, such as a lack of career growth (25%), lack of recognition (17%), and inadequate pay (15%). However, these factors all really stem from a single root cause: the systems surrounding women in tech are simply not designed to keep them.
I know this because I've built and scaled teams my entire career across a wide variety of briefs and for a range of companies. During this time, I have seen again and again the same systemic challenges hold back women workers and make them think twice about their careers in tech. It's something that can and must be addressed.
Solving the problem requires more than inspiration
Every International Women' s Day, the tech industry produces a wave of inspirational content. Panels, profiles, open letters, and more promote the virtues of the sector for female workers and do what they can to encourage women into tech careers.
This is all very much welcome, but inspiration alone will not fix the structural issues that women face at work. Broken promotion criteria, opaque pay structures, or leadership pathways that treat 24/7 availability as proof of commitment mean that even if women are encouraged into tech, there's no guarantee they'll stay there for long.
What does fix the problem is putting in place the right infrastructure and systems to support women throughout the various stages of their career and life position. Research bears this out. One study by Accenture, for example, revealed that women in inclusive environments are 61% more likely to advance to management. That outcome doesn't come from mentorship; it stems from establishing transparent levelling frameworks centred on the needs of female workers. Think, for example, of promotion criteria that value what a worker ships and not how many hours they were seen at their desk, or parental leave policies that support a woman's career trajectory rather than resetting it entirely.
Making International Women's Day count
As we mark another International Women' s Day, it is important to celebrate inspiring stories that showcase how women can succeed in tech. Even more important is shining a light on examples where companies, organisations, and individuals are providing positive solutions to the systemic issues that hold women back. Specifically, I would like to see the industry work collaboratively to ensure that workplaces are intentionally engineered to retain female workers. As someone who builds things for a living, I can tell you: we know how to do this, all that remains is to treat it as a priority.