Women in Tech in 2025: 50+ Statistics Point to a “Bro” Culture

• Although about 42% of the overall labor force worldwide is female, only 26-28% of the global tech workforce is.
• Half of all women who work in tech have left the industry by age 35.
• The proportion of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded to women has fallen from 37% in 1985 to about 20% today.

This comes as no surprise to Helen Beal, PeopleCert UK, who graduated with a degree in English Literature and Language in 1995 and went straight into a job at IBM: “It had never occurred to me to study computer science at university, even though I had been using computers since I was seven (a ZX81!) and had even developed an MS Access CRM system in one of my holiday jobs at a cattery.

I did include an English and Computing module on my degree where we looked at comparing data patterns in natural language to establish authenticity and discussed HTML and the emergence of the internet.

When I started at IBM, I remember noting the relative lack of women, but I brushed past this concern in the belief it would get better. I’m not surprised to hear it hasn’t, based on my experiences over the subsequent three decades.”

• On average, a man working in tech earns about $15,000 more than a woman in a similar role.

This statistic aligns with the experience of KimMel Briscoe, IT Manager at the Superior Court of California — County of Los Angeles. “This statement really resonates with me as a Black woman in tech. My new classification pay rate is $15,000 less than any other IT Manager, which now makes me the lowest-paid manager.

Outperforming my male counterparts in establishing processes and governance does not translate to equal pay. As discouraging as the stats indicate for women in tech, I stay, hoping to make a difference for the women who aspire to STEM careers to pave the way and help remove the barriers we are facing today.”

• The so-called Big Five tech companies (Alphabet/Google, Apple, Meta/Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) have never had a female CEO.
• Just 8% of chief technology officers (CTOs) are women.
• 72% of women in tech report a “bro culture” in their workplace.
• Although 77% of male executives believe they are “active allies” for women, only 45% of female executives agree.
• Only 87 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men promoted.
• None of the biggest U.S. tech companies reports women occupying more than a quarter of core technical roles.

Big Tech’s recent rollback on diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs is a blow to efforts to make the industry more welcoming to minorities. However, women were already at a significant disadvantage regarding representation in the tech workforce.

• In 2023, women comprised about 26–28% of the global tech workforce, a slight rebound after a dip during the pandemic. About 42% of the global labor force is female. 
• Women hold just 26% of global AI-related jobs.
• Representation is even lower in specialized tech domains:
  • Cloud computing (15%) 
  • Data science (12%). 
• Women in low- to middle-income countries are 8% less likely than men to own a mobile phone.

“As a Brazilian woman in tech, I know those 8% fewer mobile phone users are just the surface of a much deeper issue,” says Wania Konageski, Global Platform Manager with Logicalis. “In Latin America, many talented girls don’t even consider a career in tech — not because they lack interest, but because they lack access, encouragement, and representation.”

Wania was one of the few women attending her engineering school, and that trend continued into her tech career. “Even today, with my experience, I still walk into rooms where I’m the only woman or the only one from my region.”

Rather than discouraging her, this imbalance drives her. “I’m here to show that tech is a place for women, too. We’re not just asking for inclusion — we’re claiming belonging, leadership, and real opportunities from the start.”

The United States:

• Women hold about 35% of science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing (STEM) jobs. 
• The biggest U.S. tech companies report an average of about 33% female employees, ranging from 29% at Microsoft to 45% at Amazon. 
• Women in tech firms generally work in non-technical positions, with none of the biggest U.S. tech companies reporting that women occupy more than a quarter of core technical roles.

Europe:

• Women account for only 22% of all tech roles across European companies. 
• The average ratio of men to women in tech firms in Europe is 3:1, and it expands to 4:1 in technical roles. 
• About 29% of tech sector employees in the United Kingdom are women.
• This figure drops to about 20% for software engineering roles.

Given that women are underrepresented in the tech workforce, it is hardly surprising that they occupy a disproportionately low number of tech leadership roles. 

• Women hold only about 10–11% of tech executive or senior management roles in tech. 
• The share of female leaders in tech companies worldwide peaked at just 14% in 2022.
• Just 17% of tech company CEOs are women.
• The proportion of female CTOs is even lower — 8%.
• A female CEO has never headed a U.S. “Big Five” tech giant (Alphabet/Google, Apple, Meta/Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft).
• 21% of senior tech role holders in the United Kingdom are female. 
• About 25% of C-level executives in the United States are women, but only 5% are women of color.
• Even at Google, which has a progressive reputation, women hold just 28% of leadership positions.
• The glass ceiling for women is set low: Early-career bottlenecks for women mean that for every 100 men elevated to manager, only 87 women are promoted, making it even harder for women to be considered for advancement later on. 
• 53% of women working in tech say it is harder for women to secure a senior promotion at tech companies than it is for men.

However, women like ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Master & Ambassador Indi Catrina have had far more positive experiences scaling the leadership ladder. “Since joining Oracle in February 2019, I’ve seen a close-to-parity rate in promotions between men and women.

My line manager started from an identical role to mine and made it to Senior. Director in less than a decade, with her male peers standing lower on the corporate ladder, despite starting from similar or identical roles.”

She reveals that most all-hands calls she’s on are filled with women holding powerful regional and global roles in both technical and strategic lines of business. “From all my years here, I can’t recall a single occasion when someone was passed over for a promotion due to gender. Qualifications? Yes. Behavior? Yes. Degree of matching the company culture? Sure thing. But not gender.” 

Women in tech need equal educational opportunities to achieve career parity with their male peers. However, gaps have already appeared by the time children reach their teens. 

• Around age 11, girls and boys show similar interest in STEM, but many girls have lost interest by age 15, frequently because of a dearth of female role models and ongoing stereotypes. 
• Among teenagers, males are twice as likely as females to express interest in learning computer science or programming. 
• A PwC survey (UK) found that just 27% of young women said they would consider a career in technology, compared to 61% of young men.
• In the United States, women earn about 20% of undergraduate computer science degrees, a decline from a peak of 37% in 1985.
• About half of all STEM graduates are female, which does not translate into tech workforce parity, particularly in computing and engineering.
• However, the UK has experienced a 23% increase in women’s applications to computing courses since 2019. 
• In the United States, girls comprise 34% of high school AP Computer Science Principles students. 
• Harvey Mudd College famously increased its share of female CS majors from 10% to 50% within a decade.

Once they enter the tech sector, women are more likely than men to leave it. The reasons for this include its incompatibility with family responsibilities, limited potential for advancement, and inhospitable company culture.

• Women in tech are about 45% more likely to leave the industry than men. 
• Half of the women in tech have left the field by age 35.
• Why do they leave? They cite a range of reasons:
  • 37% of women blamed a bad company culture.
  • 28% cited limited growth opportunities.
  • 27% left mainly for family reasons.

Stacy Thomas, Service Management Specialist in Perth, Western Australia, sheds light on the situation: “For a woman to be recognized, she often has to outperform male colleagues and still take on the invisible labor of the workplace.

Outside of work, many women are still expected to shoulder the majority of home and family responsibilities. That kind of pressure builds and builds until burnout is inevitable.”

She sees the issue as a lack of professional and personal guidance and support systems. “Women aren’t just facing a lack of opportunity — we’re facing a systemic drain on our well-being. No wonder so many of us are quietly stepping away from the sector altogether.” 

Sue Hopgood, a senior lecturer in project management, explains why she moved out of tech: “In the late 90s/early 2000s, I was one of the few women in the UK training and consulting in the Lotus Notes/Domino space.

It was great until I had my first son and was juggling his care, my consultancy, a new IT startup, and the frequent upskilling. Something had to give. My solution was to move into a field (project management education) where best practice was more stable, allowing me to focus on what really matters — my family.”

Although she is saddened by the huge attrition rate for women in tech, she is optimistic. “I hope these stats mean women are moving sideways into other roles and industries, taking the benefits of their technical experience with them. If we could increase the number of women in leadership roles, I’m sure this would help address the number of women leaving the industry.”

• Whereas 36% of men report feeling burned out at work, the figure is 57% for women. Female burnout was aggravated by shouldering disproportionate responsibilities during the pandemic.
• 43% of women in tech say they consider quitting at least once a week.
• During the 2022–2023 wave of layoffs, you were far more likely to lose your job if you were a woman in tech. One study revealed that women were 65% more likely to be laid off.
• 9 out of 10 women who have left tech claim they would consider returning if conditions improve. 

It’s impossible to overlook the earnings differential between men and women in similar tech roles. This pay gap is a global phenomenon, and the World Economic Forum estimates it will take over a century to eliminate.  

• On average, the annual salary for a man working in STEM is almost $15,000 more than for a woman in a similar role.

Kimberly Gibbs, a senior manager in IT Service Management in the United States, can relate: “Despite ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, biases in hiring, promotion, and pay practices persist. Women may often be less inclined to negotiate their salaries assertively, which, coupled with unconscious bias, leads to lower initial offers and fewer raises.” 

Kimberly recalls an experience early in her career when she joined a technical support team as part of an initiative to hire more women. The team included three women and one man. “Months later, upon comparing our compensation, we discovered that all three women had been hired at the same salary, while the man was hired at $15,000 more.

When this discrepancy was brought to management’s attention, we were told that we should have negotiated for higher salaries. Now, I advocate for incorporating salary negotiation skills into professional development training. This would greatly benefit individuals who might fear that requesting higher pay could jeopardize their job or promotion prospects.”

• Specifically in the United States, the median salary for a male STEM professional is about $85,000, whereas the equivalent for his female counterpart is roughly $60,800 for female STEM professionals. 
• The median salary for Latina and Black women in STEM is about $52,000.
• On average, women in Europe’s tech sector earn about 26% less than their male counterparts.
• In an analysis of tech jobs, 62% offered men higher salaries than women.
• A study of remote jobs found that women requested $0.95 for every $1.00 a comparable male colleague sought.
• The earnings gap in computer science jobs is among the narrowest in STEM fields: women earn about 94% of what men do. 
• Female startup CEOs receive about $133k on average, whereas males get $153k.
• The World Economic Forum estimates it will take more than a century to close the current economic gender gap at rates in most regions.

So, what’s stopping women in tech from attaining the same level as men in the tech industry? The reasons vary, but old-fashioned sexism continues to be a stubborn barrier. 

• 72% of women in tech roles report sexism at work.
• 72% of women in tech also say their workplace demonstrates a “bro culture” that prioritizes men when it comes to networking or decision-making spaces.

Stacy Thomas notes that “women are frequently nudged into administrative tasks — like taking notes or organizing meetings — instead of being trusted with the work we’re trained and hired to do.

Add in the frustrations of being talked over, having your ideas ignored (or worse, stolen!), and being told how to do your job by someone with less experience — and it chips away at your energy and sense of belonging. There’s a reason terms like ‘mansplaining’ exist.” 

• 65% of tech recruiters concede their hiring processes are biased. 
• 55% of women say the main obstacle to their advancement is their colleagues’ lack of trust in their skills. 
• 29% report the lack of clear career pathways or guidance as a barrier.

Stacy Thomas agrees: “There’s often this narrow idea of what success looks like in tech, especially for women: Go more technical, or get sidelined. That kind of tunnel vision is incredibly discouraging. It wasn’t until I discovered ITIL and the Service Management sphere that I felt I truly had a place in the industry. Had I not found this, I would’ve been just another statistic — a woman who tried her hand in tech, and then walked away.” 

• Perception gaps are also a factor, with 77% of male executives believing they are “active allies” for women, but only 45% of female executives holding the same view.

Rina Brahmbhatt, Director of Training and Education at 24 Trainings and ITIL Ambassador USA/UK, recalls working for a leader who is now in an executive position within the organization. “When I returned from maternity leave, he welcomed me back with empathy and compassion.

A truly inclusive culture would mean having more leaders who recognize that supporting women through significant life transitions isn’t just a nice-to-have, but essential for retention.”

• About 1 in 5 women in the U.S. tech industry reported verbal or sexual harassment at work.
• The startup sector is no beacon of hope: Women establish just 25% of startups.
• Female-led startups received only about 2.3% of venture capital funding in 2022. 

The numbers are stark when it comes to women in tech in 2025. There has been progress in some areas, but it’s just chipping away at the often overwhelming challenges for women trying to forge a career in the tech industry.

Addressing the obstacles that still face women in the tech sector will require concerted efforts from companies, educational institutions, and society in general. We can work toward a more balanced and representative tech industry by creating inclusive cultures, promoting equitable practices, and supporting women’s advancement.

The women we spoke to are clear about what needs to happen to create a brighter future for women in tech. Efforts need to center on challenging perceptions by showcasing strong female role models, addressing the salary gap, and strengthening collaboration on practical initiatives to encourage women in tech.

Challenging perceptions with female role models

Pirkko Haffer, Service Management Consultant, ITIL Ambassador, and accredited ITIL® 4 trainer in Helsinki, asserts that “achieving diversity requires deliberate effort, structural reforms, and increased awareness. Organizations must actively foster an inclusive environment with equitable opportunities for growth, and women themselves need to amplify their voices and advocate for their rightful place in the industry.”

Cheryl Razzell, UKI Specialist SA Leader at AWS, points out how a broader cultural shift could bring about real change: “We must actively challenge the stereotypes and perceptions surrounding tech careers that often deter young women from pursuing these paths. One effective way to do this is by showcasing female role models and providing platforms for young women to engage with the digital sector, just as we did with initiatives like Girl Tech London.

Through workshops, hands-on activities, and real-world insights from industry professionals, we can dismantle the barriers of apprehension and uncertainty that many young women face. It’s vital to highlight the diverse range of skills needed in the digital sector and to demonstrate that tech is not just for a select few but for everyone.”

Rossana Suárez (Roxs), Tech Lead DevOps at Naranja X in Argentina, agrees: “We must challenge the outdated stereotypes that still tell girls, ‘This isn’t for you.’ That’s why I create bootcamps, open communities, and platforms where girls and women can not only learn but also shine. Visibility matters. Representation matters. When they see someone like them, someone with fire, purpose, and passion, they realize ‘Hey, I belong here too.’”

Achieving salary parity

Kimberly Gibbs suggests practical solutions to address the salary gap: “I have learned several strategies to bridge the gap — such as asking for the salary range for a position rather than providing recruiters with the minimum amount I would accept, responding to inquiries about previous salaries with questions about the current position’s compensation instead, and discussing pay openly with colleagues to understand industry standards.

Ultimately, I learned that it is essential to request compensation reflecting your worth. If met with refusal, look for a place where you are appreciated and compensated accordingly.”

Practical initiatives

Rossana Suárez believes that boosting female representation in the tech world demands more than isolated actions. “It takes a collective roar from companies, schools, communities, and especially from us, the women who have already made it into these spaces.”

Sophie Hussey, Director, Lapis Consulting Services Ltd., underlines the importance of collective actionable approaches to support women in tech. For example, in the UK, the Computer Science curriculum does not include anything related to service management — the focus is purely on coding and infrastructure — and this gap extends to degree courses. We need to fix the issue at the source.”

She points to the example of STEM Learning, a UK-wide organization that actively engages schools, colleges, and learning institutions to directly interact with young people and show them all their STEM options. “The organization is bolstered by volunteers who support the organization and also directly engage with young people to give them a window into the real world. Mentoring, coaching, and women-in-tech communities can also help battle the ‘boys club’ and provide a safe, united space for women.”

Sources

• Women in Tech Stats 2025: Uncovering Trends and Unseen Data by WomenTech Network
• Women In Tech Stats: How The Industry Can Provide Equal Opportunities
• 33+ Must-Know Women In Tech Statistics for 2025
• Women in technology statistics: Where we stand in 2024
• 70+ Women In Technology Statistics (2024)
• 160 Women in Tech Statistics: Challenges, Hiring Trends, and Retention