Women make up around 50% of the UK workforce. Yet in tech, just 24% of roles are filled by women. For tech leadership, that figure drops to just 5%. 

The evidence clearly demonstrates the impact women can make at the most senior levels of the industry. Companies with female leaders outperform those without. The most gender diverse quartile of organisations are 15% more likely to have better than average financial returns. 

The challenge hasn’t changed since the tech industry’s inception: attract more, upskill more, retain more women. Yet despite the significant efforts to bring more women into tech, PwC discovered that just 3% of females say a career in tech is their first choice. 78% of students can’t name a famous female working in technology. And twice as many men have a tech career suggested to them than women. 

AND She Leads 

Following the success of AND Digital‘s has AND She Can programme, the Edinburgh-based company has launched a new initiative, AND She Leads, designed to address several of the challenges around female leadership in tech. 

This intergenerational exploration of senior women’s experiences in the tech industry will survey female leaders who began their careers in the last three decades. It will look at issues of progression, development, allyship, work/life balance and more, to uncover the real experiences of women in digital, ask how the industry can create and then retain more women leaders, and lay out the roadmap to help every organisation to do better. 

Rachel Johnson, marketing lead at AND Digital, explains: “Change is vital to prevent the gender gap widening even further. In the future, when every job is a tech job, a lack of tech skills will prevent access to higher paid careers. If more women than men lack these skills, more women will find their job opportunities limited and their pay restricted. The report will uncover valuable insights into the evolution of workplace dynamics and career challenges for women, and examine successful strategies for attracting, upskilling, and retaining female talent.”

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Be part of the survey

Johnson continues: “We’re aiming to supplement the results with in-depth interviews, uncovering the broad themes, real experiences and deeper nuances that can inform industry practices, policies and support systems. To do that, we need women to take part. I’d encourage women in leadership tech roles to take the online survey.” 

The findings will be presented in a comprehensive report, due to be published by mid 2024. It will celebrate the accomplishments of senior female professionals, offer actionable recommendations for organisations looking to increase female representation in leadership roles, offer a suggested pathway for more women to secure senior roles and build a roadmap for fostering a more inclusive, supportive and diverse tech industry.