The gender gap in tech has narrowed across the UK, EU, and US in the past four years, according to analysis from the Financial Times.

The report revealed that the proportion of women in the UK working in computer related roles rose from 29% in 2019 to more than 32% throughout the last year.

Overall female representation rose from 30.9% to 34.1% over the same period.

A further report from FT highlighted that the share of EU women in computer programming and related services has increased from 23% from before the pandemic to 25% at the end of 2023.

This is due to more tech roles becoming available in banks and consumer good companies within the EU.

According to the data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the proportion of female workers in tech rose from 31% in 2019 to 25% by the end of 2023 across America.

There were just under 900,000 female workers in computer programming and related services out of 2.5m in total last year.

In the UK, recent research has shown that more women are set to get into tech, with female applications to computing science degrees up by 10% this year.

However, research into the current UK tech ecosystem shows that women are continuing to leave or are looking to leave their tech roles, either for other positions or with plans to exit the industry altogether.

Equally problematic, the further up the corporate ladder you look, the less diversity one sees.

When asked why women were leaving tech, they cited a lack of career progression, their care responsibilities, and the inability to reach a work-life balance in their role.

“The transformative power of technology makes it an enticing and exciting sector for women to be involved in,” Sai Bendi, software development manager at Encompass Corporation said.

“However, while the latest findings highlight progress, there’s still work to be done to ensure that diversity is, rather than just a buzzword, a fundamental aspect of organisational culture and decision-making processes throughout the industry.

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“Flexible working practices are key to women being able to achieve a positive work-life balance that allows them to meet family and caring responsibilities, for example, while also thriving professionally. These evolving practices also underscore the industry’s adaptability to changing lifestyles today.”

Sheila Flavell CBE, chief operating officer for FDM Group commented: “The gender gap in tech remains startling, however, it is positive to see that tech firms across the advanced economies are starting to close the gap through gender equality policies and greater flexibility in the workplace.

“The rise of work-from-anywhere and flexible hours since the pandemic has shifted employee expectations and opened the door to tech for many people. Businesses must capitalise on this, encouraging more women into tech roles and equipping them with digital skills training to empower them to lead the development and adoption of fast-growing technologies such as artificial intelligence.”