When it comes to advanced degrees, only 30% of master’s degrees in engineering and computer sciences are awarded to women, dropping to 24% for doctoral degrees, according to Society of Women Engineers. And it’ll only become more difficult to foster gender diversity in the tech industry if colleges and universities aren’t also looking at the diversity, inclusion, and equity of their STEM degree programs.
Once a diploma is earned, the real work begins, and here the numbers for women in tech are even more troubling. Only 38% of women who majored in computer science are working in the field compared to 53% of men, according to data from the National Science Foundation. This is a consistent trend dubbed a “leaky pipeline,” where it’s difficult to retain women in STEM jobs once they’ve graduated with a STEM degree.
The IT leadership gap
Women are in the minority at all of the Big Five major US tech firms, according to The World Bank. Of these high-profile tech companies, Amazon has the highest number of women employees at 45%, followed by Meta (37%), Apple (34%), Google (33%), and Microsoft (33%). Leadership numbers for these organizations are even lower, with women making up just 29%, 34%, 31%, 28%, and 26% at these organizations, respectively. Notably, none of these companies have ever had a female CEO and only around 9% of women hold positions such as CIO, CTO, IT manager, or technical team leader.
