The campaign is led by UK based tech diversity leaders Code First Girls and MotherBoard Movement. The campaign comes against the backdrop of an increased focus on obtaining and retaining female tech talent, as well as closing the gender-based pay gap. 

At the moment, women make up only 26% of the tech workforce in the UK, however they make up 50% of the labour market, according to Tech Nation. “The tech industry has been a boys’ club for far too long, but that’s all starting to change,” said Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls.

An analysis of the landscape by Women in Tech suggested this has to do with lack of opportunities for promotion for women in the field. According to the analysis, the tech sphere, especially at the c-suite level, being male-dominated is a major negative for women seeking to enter the industry.

In a Code First Girls survey, almost one in five members suggested maternity breaks were the reason their careers advanced more slowly than their male counterparts, with almost one sixth saying organising family life in general was to blame. Additionally, 50% of females leave the tech industry around the childbearing age, which is also the critical age for career advancement. 

Companies offering adequate maternity leave, flexible working arrangements, childcare, and other family-friendly policies are crucial to retaining female talent and help them progress in their fields. 

“To protect and accelerate that progress, tech companies must ensure they have policies in place that are inclusive of employees at all stages of their life. Caring responsibilities for parents bring new challenges that can widen gender inequality over time,” said Brailsford. 

Companies celebrated for leading the maternity and paternity leave policies offer at least 6-month full-pay maternity and at least 4-month full-pay paternity leave regardless of length of service. As well as allowing employees to adopt flexible working policies after maternity leave. 

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Companies recognised by the #MumsWhoCode campaign for having exceptional maternity leave policies are: Ford, Thales, Deloitte, DSTL, Arenko, Goldman Sachs, Shoosmiths, Flutter, Transport for London, Revolut , Monzo, Willmot Dixon, Atkins, and GCHQ.

Companies recognised for stand-out paternity leave policies are: Burberry, FundApps, Deutsche Bank, Google, Bumble, Wise, Klarna, Innocent, BCG, Abrdn, American Express, M&G, Netflix, Spotify.