38% Of Women In Tech Plan On Leaving Their Job Within The Next 2 Years—Here’s Why

A recent report from New View Strategies, a business management company, shows that gender inequality in the tech industry remains a prevalent issue, with one in three women in the tech field saying they experience gender bias at their workplace.

After surveying 1,000 women working in the tech industry, 38% of participants say men are assumed to be more capable than women at their workplace. Thirty-eight percent of respondents also said they plan to leave their tech jobs altogether within the next two years. And nearly half of women surveyed (46%) say their organizations do not actively promote gender equality in hiring and culture.

Gender bias may show itself in many ways, but pay gaps are one of the most evident. Forty-three percent of survey respondents believe there is a gender pay gap at their workplace, but only 24% of women have discussed a pay gap with their coworkers.

Though hybrid and remote work could potentially improve pay equity, the issue of gender inequality still persists outside the physical office space, as one in ten women say they’ve experienced gender-based harassment via Slack, a business communication platform, or email. Seventy percent of women shared that they prefer having their cameras off during video calls, and 48% of women don’t even know if their workplace has a remote work harassment policy, potentially leading to female employees feeling a lack of support from their organizations. Workplace disparities similar to this have contributed to one in three women considering leaving the workforce or switching career paths.

A year-and-a-half into the coronavirus crisis, respondents are also taking stock of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on their careers. Fifty-two percent of women said their workload increased during the pandemic and 27% said they now find themselves less optimistic about their careers. Access to tools for upward mobility was also a major issue for women in tech, as over half of the women surveyed (52%) said that the tech industry lacked opportunities for advancement. Other obstacles included a lack of female role models, mentorship, and training resources.

When asked why they chose to pursue a tech career, about half of the women surveyed (46%) chose tech for the compensation, while 33% did it for secure employment. Others cited reasons such as passion, versatility, and increased job opportunities. 

The perks of working in tech have also kept women interested in the field, with 74% saying the PTO is the best benefit and 55% saying it’s the paid maternity leave. Other perks included 401k matching, stock options, paid paternity leave, and job training.

The report also shows that, though conditions for women in tech may seem bleak in terms of gender inequality, there’s an immense amount of room for improvement. According to the women surveyed, only 13% said their organization offers training specifically for women, versus the 54% that believe their tech company should offer specific training just for women. Many of the survey participants believe that simply having more women on their team would help increase workplace morale.








SOURCE: CNBC
IMAGE SOURCE: PIXABAY