You've Got Male

It may come as a surprise that a woman is regarded as the first computer programmer. Ada Lovelace (daughter of the poet Lord Byron) made some notes in 1843 that are now considered the first algorithm. A century later, women went on to be recruited, en masse, as part of the war effort to undertake what was considered to be ‘tedious’ desk work that concentrated on recording data and making calculations. By the 1960s, between 30%-50% of those employed in computing, considered at the time as ‘soft work’, were women. Given the slow transition since then into modern software development, which is ever-increasing in demand, why then, has this figure now fallen to below a quarter of the computing workforce? 

Tapping into girl power 

Against the backdrop of a rising number of students taking GCSE computer science, the number of girls choosing to take GCSE computer science is falling (16,549 in 2021, from 16,919 in 2020). This is the second year in a row the number of girls taking the subject has dropped. One reason often cited for this is the phasing out of ICT GCSE, which had a 40% female participation rate, in favour of the introduction of Computer Science.  

With only 3% of females saying a career in technology is their first choice, there is a lot of work to do in getting girls interested in computing. Social conditioning and stereotypes are influential, with the majority of children believing girls are less interested than boys in computer science and engineering. This perception can start at the young age of 6 years old and often continues into the teens. 

Role congruity theory of prejudice is not a new thing.  A 2002 report stated that ‘perceived incongruity between the female gender role and leadership roles leads to 2 forms of prejudice: (a) perceiving women less favourably than men as potential occupants of leadership roles and (b) evaluating behaviour that fulfils the prescriptions of a leader role less favourably when it is enacted by a woman’.  Working on the premise that men are often motivated by ‘agentic’ goals (typically personal achievement, control, power, financial gain) and women conversely are believed to pursue more ‘communal’ goals (social interaction, altruism, sense of belonging). Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields are usually perceived to be agentic, but research shows that women are now more inclined to advocate agentic goals just as strongly as men do.  It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that this is a factor in the IT gender gap.   

It is also a fact that people choose careers that make use of their strongest abilities, whatever their gender. Studies have shown that females generally show advantages in verbal fluency, perceptual speed, accuracy, and fine motor skills. At the same time, males outperform females in spatial, working memory, and mathematical abilities.  Alongside this is a belief that women have a more comprehensive range of cognitive abilities (while men apply their cognitive abilities to a more focussed group of activities) which means women can therefore apply themselves to a wider variety of career paths (so diluting the talent pool of females who potentially could embark on a career in tech).  It is essential to note that these attributes are generally considered as not being pre-determined or fixed and are most likely the result of social and cultural factors. 

This all indicates that we need to entice more girls to study computer science at an earlier age. How? By encouraging creative uses of computing. We could, for example, ensure coding is integrated into other subjects such as language, arts, science and maths. This would offer the opportunity to connect pupils with role models within the IT field i.e. women in computing could co-teach, allow a field visit and/or give a presentation. Girls would also benefit from extra-curricular activities such as a computing or robotics club or a school-based business that requires application developers. 

It seems that from those who do end up taking a GCSE in computer science, more are going on to study it at A-Level. So even though the uptake of females only currently accounts for 14.5% of total A-level entries and only 19% at degree level, it shows that if we want to increase the number of entries at A Level and beyond, we must encourage early adoption. 

Breaking into the boy’s club 

Shockingly, women are less likely to be offered interview requests than male candidates when it comes to tech positions. In 2021, women represented 19% of the potential candidate pool for tech positions, yet only 16.8% received interview requests. This meant that if you were female and applied for a tech job in 2021, you were 13% less likely to receive an interview request than your fellow male candidates. Once you have got your first techie job, as a female, you are more likely to start on a lower rung of the ladder than a man. The facts show that over half of women are likely to start their IT career at the entry-level compared to only 39% of men. 

Companies also tend to hire fewer women in tech roles than men, which is not surprising if they are interviewing less. Tech companies with less than 1,000 employees hire about 30.02% of women in tech. Even within the biggest tech companies, which you think would offer a higher percentage of opportunities for women, there is an admission of an imbalance in their tech roles that is biased towards men. For example, Apple employees are 30% female and 70% male, and when the ratio is confined to tech jobs, it’s only 20% women. Meta shows that only 33% of female employees work in tech-related positions. Only 25.5% of Google’s leaders on a global scale are women. 

Around 72% of the female tech workforce feel constantly outnumbered in business meetings by men by a 2:1 ratio (26% by a 2:1 ratio). According to women in technology stats for 2022, only 29% of women of survey participants haven’t worked in companies where there was a ‘boy’s club’. The majority of women that have worked in male-dominated environments have felt excluded, unsafe, and uncomfortable, with half feeling like they have suffered from gender discrimination.  Roq’s own Marketing Director comments: 

“In my 25-year career (so far) I’ve always worked in what you might refer to as male-dominated industries – IT, FM, security…  I can’t think of many times when I haven’t been in a room that’s been out of (gender) balance.  In fact, the more I progressed, the more obvious it probably became. I’ve experienced subtle and overt discrimination in my time.  Expectations that you’ll be the one to make the drinks, clear away cups, take notes etc.  Right through to the times when the power and control tactics have been so obvious and yes, intimidating.  Happily, I’m with a very progressive company now.  One where I have a voice, but I’d still like more female peers.  However, if women aren’t applying for the roles, then how can they be employed?  That’s the crux of the matter – more women need to be in the mix to make the change that’s needed!” 

Beware of the glass ceiling ahead  

Forty years ago, management consultant Marilyn Loden coined the phrase ‘glass ceiling’ to describe the sometimes-invisible barrier to success many women came up against in their careers. Sadly, it is still as relevant today, and rarely more so than in technology.  

A high percentage, 88%, of women would be drawn toward an organisation that speaks openly about diversity. Interestingly, 63% of men in technology companies view their companies as equal employers regarding gender, yet only 47% of women agree with these sentiments. Moreover, a third of females in tech say they haven’t seen any efforts by their companies to close the gender gap. This is not the best incentive for women to stay within the industry. Without a doubt, diversity needs to be more than just a line in a recruitment brochure, and the actual test is whether a company lives and breathes its diversity policy. 

The industry is missing a trick here, a diverse workforce helps attract and retain women in the UK’s IT sector, but it also gives those diverse organisations the potential for an 11-fold increase in creative innovation (compared to non-diverse organisations).  

Competitive pay is often a valuable tool in any employer’s toolkit, which makes you wonder why a staggering 78% of large tech organisations admit to having a gender pay gap, with males earning more than females. With women working in the tech sector being paid around 2.8% less than their male counterparts, is it any wonder women don’t stick around?  

As a result, in the tech sector, about 50% of women quit their jobs before the age of 35, as after this age they are 3.5 times more likely still to be in a junior tech position (compared to 5% of men). They are also abandoning their jobs at a 45% higher rate than the men in their industry. Childcare responsibilities are undeniably a factor in contributing to those who leave prematurely as well as the 57% of women in tech burning out at work (compared to 36% men).  

So what needs to happen to create gender balance within the computer science industry? It seems early intervention within schools is required to make girls more confident, receptive and excited by a career in computing. Dax Grant, CEO of Global Transform and member of the influential Forbes Technology Council, “I do believe there is a junction very early on in one’s life where you get involved in technology or not. I’m an advocate of social mobility, neurodiversity and encouraging women into tech in order to fill the [talent] gap”.   

More Lippy Required 

Women’s dedication to their chosen career path is unquestionable at the start of their career in IT, even if they are not given the same opportunities as men.  It is only when the glass ceiling starts to reveal itself that the problems start to kick in. To address these issues, the IT industry needs to play a role in helping level up the playing field, by recognising and rewarding great female talent initially during the recruitment stage as well as with continuous career development. Incentivising and retaining female talent is a quick win for filling the digital skills gap. How can they achieve this? By practising what they preach and ensuring diversity in the workforce. We need more lipstick and less lip service if we are to break the loop. 

Join us at our next Mind the UK’s Digital Skills Gap Webinar on 6th December where our panellists will be talking about why ‘You’ve Got Male’ and how we can work together redress the balance by bringing the conversation to the fore. 

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