Despite accounting for half of the world's workforce, women hold only a fraction of tech jobs globally, with the statistics painting a clear but uneven picture of their progress and persistent barriers across countries and roles.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, women accounted for 28% of the global technology workforce, a slight increase from 25% in 2018 but still significantly underrepresented compared to their 50% share of the overall workforce
- In the United States, women hold 26.7% of professional computing jobs as of 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with variations by subfield such as higher in IT support (35%) than software development (22%)
- Across Europe, women represent 17% of ICT specialists in 2023, with the lowest rates in Greece (12%) and highest in Bulgaria (27%), per Eurostat data
- In 2022, only 18% of undergraduate computer science degrees in the US were awarded to women, down from 37% in 1984, per National Center for Education Statistics
- Globally, women earn 22% of bachelor's degrees in ICT fields as of 2023, varying from 30% in the US to 15% in India, per UNESCO UIS data
- In the UK, women received 21% of computer science undergraduate degrees in 2022/23, per HESA statistics
- In 2023, women held 11.5% of executive positions (C-suite) in top US tech companies, up from 10% in 2020, per Deloitte Women in Tech report
- Globally, women occupy 8% of CEO roles in tech firms in 2023, with the US at 10% and Europe at 7%, per BCG
- In Silicon Valley, women hold 15% of VP-level tech roles at FAANG companies in 2023, per company diversity reports
- In 2023, the gender pay gap in US tech was 6% for base salary but 14% including bonuses, per Payscale
- Globally, women in tech earn 84 cents for every dollar men earn in 2023, widening to 72 cents at senior levels, per ILO
- In Silicon Valley, median tech salary for women is $142,000 vs $168,000 for men in 2023, per levels.fyi
- 41% of women in tech report experiencing gender bias in promotions leading to retention issues in 2023 US survey, per Kapor Center
- Globally, 35% of women in tech left or plan to leave the industry due to lack of advancement in 2023, per BCG
- In the US, 50% of women in tech cite microaggressions as a top retention barrier in 2023, per Athena Factor 2.0
Women remain significantly underrepresented in the global technology workforce and leadership roles.
Barriers and Retention
141% of women in tech report experiencing gender bias in promotions leading to retention issues in 2023 US survey, per Kapor Center
Verified2Globally, 35% of women in tech left or plan to leave the industry due to lack of advancement in 2023, per BCG
Verified3In the US, 50% of women in tech cite microaggressions as a top retention barrier in 2023, per Athena Factor 2.0
Verified4UK women in tech report 28% higher burnout rates than men in 2023, contributing to 20% attrition, per Tech Nation
Directional5In India, 45% of women leave tech within 10 years post-graduation due to marriage/family pressures in 2023, NASSCOM
Single source6Australian women in tech experience 32% higher rates of sexual harassment, leading to 15% voluntary exits annually, per ADCCI 2023
Verified7In Canada, 37% of women in tech face imposter syndrome impacting retention, per #movethedial 2023
Verified8French survey shows 29% of women in digital roles quit due to work-life imbalance in 2023, per AFMD
Verified9In Brazil, 40% of women in tech cite lack of mentorship as key barrier to retention in 2023, per ABStartups
Directional10German women in IT report 25% discrimination in hiring/promotions, highest attrition factor in 2023, per Bitkom
Single source11Globally, women in tech are twice as likely to leave after maternity leave (25% vs 12% men), per McKinsey 2023
Verified12US women of color in tech face 55% higher exclusion from networks, leading to turnover, per Kapor 2023
Verified13In EU, 31% of women ICT specialists report bullying/harassment as retention issue in 2023, per Eurofound
Verified14South African women in tech attrition rate is 22% annually due to safety concerns commuting, per Deloitte 2023
DirectionalBarriers and Retention Interpretation
The leaky pipeline of women in tech is less a crack and more a systematic hemorrhage, gushing talent through the preventable wounds of bias, harassment, burnout, and exclusion felt across the globe.
Educational Attainment
1In 2022, only 18% of undergraduate computer science degrees in the US were awarded to women, down from 37% in 1984, per National Center for Education Statistics
Verified2Globally, women earn 22% of bachelor's degrees in ICT fields as of 2023, varying from 30% in the US to 15% in India, per UNESCO UIS data
Verified3In the UK, women received 21% of computer science undergraduate degrees in 2022/23, per HESA statistics
Verified4In Australia, females accounted for 24% of ICT bachelor's completions in 2022, up 2% from 2020, per Department of Education
Directional5In Germany, women make up 16% of ICT graduates in 2023, per Destatis
Single source6In China, women earn 35% of computer science degrees at undergraduate level in 2022, but drop to 25% at PhD, per Ministry of Education
Verified7In Brazil, 28% of STEM graduates are women, but only 19% in computing fields in 2023, per INEP
Verified8In Canada, women received 23% of computer science bachelor's degrees in 2022, per Statistics Canada
Verified9In India, women account for 42% of STEM graduates but only 14% choose computer science in 2023, per AISHE report
Directional10In France, 20% of engineering school graduates in informatics are women in 2023, per CDEFI
Single source11In South Korea, women earn 17% of ICT-related degrees in 2022, per KOSTAT
Verified12In the EU, women represent 17% of ICT tertiary graduates in 2022, with Finland at 24% highest, per Eurostat
Verified13In Saudi Arabia, women now comprise 30% of computer science students in 2023 due to Vision 2030 reforms
Verified14In the US, Black women earn only 3% of CS bachelor's degrees despite being 7% of college women, per NCES 2022
Directional15Hispanic women account for 7% of US computing degrees in 2022, up from 5% in 2015
Single source16Women in the US pursuing PhDs in computer science dropped to 22% in 2022 from 25% in 2010, per NSF
Verified17Only 12% of female STEM graduates in the US enter tech fields post-graduation in 2023, per AAUW
VerifiedEducational Attainment Interpretation
The sobering global trend in tech education reveals that while we've successfully built a digital world, we've somehow managed to consistently lose over half the potential builders along the way, suggesting the pipeline isn't just leaky but perhaps poorly designed to begin with.
Leadership Positions
1In 2023, women held 11.5% of executive positions (C-suite) in top US tech companies, up from 10% in 2020, per Deloitte Women in Tech report
Verified2Globally, women occupy 8% of CEO roles in tech firms in 2023, with the US at 10% and Europe at 7%, per BCG
Verified3In Silicon Valley, women hold 15% of VP-level tech roles at FAANG companies in 2023, per company diversity reports
Verified4In the UK tech sector, women represent 19% of senior leadership positions in 2023, per Tech Nation
Directional5Indian women hold 7% of board seats in top IT companies in 2023, despite 34% workforce share, NASSCOM
Single source6In Australia, women are 18% of tech executives in ASX200 companies in 2023, per AICD
Verified7Canadian women hold 14% of C-level tech positions in 2023, per Women in Tech Canada
Verified8In France, women occupy 12% of digital sector management roles in 2023, per INSEE
Verified9Brazilian women represent 9% of tech company board directors in 2023, per IBGC
Directional10In Germany, women hold 16% of top management positions in ICT firms in 2023, per Bitkom
Single source11Globally, women are 25% of startup founders in tech but only 10% of funded unicorn CEOs in 2023, per Crunchbase
Verified12In the US, Black women hold 1.5% of tech leadership roles despite 9% workforce share in 2023, per Kapor Center
Verified13Asian women in US tech are 5% of executives while 30% of workforce in 2023, per Ascend Foundation
Verified14In EU tech firms, women hold 22% of board seats in 2023, highest in Nordic countries at 35%, per EIGE
Directional15South African women are 11% of tech executives in JSE-listed firms in 2023, per BusinessTech
Single source16In Japan, women hold 4% of executive positions in IT companies in 2023, per METI
VerifiedLeadership Positions Interpretation
We are watching a painfully slow, global game of 'Where's Waldo?' but for women in tech leadership, where even finding a few at the top feels like a triumph of persistence over a system still stuck in dial-up.
Salary and Compensation
1In 2023, the gender pay gap in US tech was 6% for base salary but 14% including bonuses, per Payscale
Verified2Globally, women in tech earn 84 cents for every dollar men earn in 2023, widening to 72 cents at senior levels, per ILO
Verified3In Silicon Valley, median tech salary for women is $142,000 vs $168,000 for men in 2023, per levels.fyi
Verified4UK women in tech earn 12% less than men on average in 2023 (£48k vs £55k), per Prospects
Directional5In India, women IT engineers earn 25% less than men despite equal qualifications in 2023, per TeamLease
Single source6Australian women in tech have a 16% pay gap, with software devs at $110k vs $130k, per Seek 2023
Verified7In Canada, tech gender pay gap is 11% in 2023, highest in AI roles at 18%, per Randstad
Verified8French women in digital jobs earn 15% less (£42k vs £49k equivalent) in 2023, per CNIL
Verified9In Brazil, tech pay gap for women is 20% in 2023, per Catho
Directional10German women in IT earn 18% less than men in 2023 (€58k vs €71k), per StepStone
Single source11Globally, motherhood penalty in tech pay is 7% per child, totaling 21% gap for mothers vs childless women in 2023, per McKinsey
Verified12US Latina women in tech face 22% pay gap vs white men in 2023, per NWLC
Verified13Black women in US tech earn 30% less than white men at similar levels in 2023, per McKinsey
Verified14In EU, pay gap in ICT sector is 19% in 2023, per Eurostat
Directional15South African women in tech have 24% pay disparity in 2023, per 21st Century
Single sourceSalary and Compensation Interpretation
So it appears that globally, the tech industry's secret project to steadily discount the price of women's contributions—especially if they are mothers or women of color—is both shockingly on-schedule and horrifyingly over-budget.
Workforce Representation
1In 2023, women accounted for 28% of the global technology workforce, a slight increase from 25% in 2018 but still significantly underrepresented compared to their 50% share of the overall workforce
Verified2In the United States, women hold 26.7% of professional computing jobs as of 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with variations by subfield such as higher in IT support (35%) than software development (22%)
Verified3Across Europe, women represent 17% of ICT specialists in 2023, with the lowest rates in Greece (12%) and highest in Bulgaria (27%), per Eurostat data
Verified4In India, women comprise 34% of the IT workforce in 2023, but only 7% in leadership roles within tech companies, as reported by NASSCOM
Directional5In Australia, women make up 29% of the digital technology workforce in 2022, concentrated in roles like business analysis (45%) but only 19% in software engineering, per Tech Council of Australia
Single source6In Canada, women hold 24% of tech jobs in 2023, with a notable 40% in non-technical tech roles versus 18% in engineering, according to Statistics Canada
Verified7In the UK, women represent 24% of the digital tech sector workforce in 2023, down from 28% in 2017, per Tech Nation report
Verified8In Brazil, women account for 20% of tech professionals in 2023, primarily in data analysis (32%) but only 15% in cybersecurity, as per Brasscom
Verified9Globally, women hold 22% of AI-related jobs in 2023, despite making up 40% of the overall AI talent pool in academia, per World Economic Forum
Directional10In Silicon Valley, women comprise 31% of tech employees at major firms like Google in 2023, up from 30% in 2022 but with only 10% in technical roles
Single source11In Japan, women represent 18% of the IT workforce in 2023, with slow growth due to cultural barriers, per METI report
Verified12In South Africa, women hold 25% of ICT jobs in 2023, highest in support roles (38%) lowest in programming (14%)
Verified13In Mexico, women account for 23% of tech sector employment in 2022, per INEGI data
Verified14In the UAE, women make up 27% of the tech workforce in 2023, boosted by government initiatives
Directional15In Nigeria, women represent 15% of tech professionals in 2023, mainly in fintech (22%), per Andela report
Single sourceWorkforce Representation Interpretation
The tech industry's global gender gap appears as consistent as software updates, stubbornly recycling a global average of about 25% female participation, while proving that progress, like legacy code, is patchy, slow, and varies wildly by region and role.
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