Report: Gender Equality In IT Workplaces Has Improved But There’s Still More To Be Done

More than half (56 per cent) of women in tech have seen levels of gender equality improve in their organisation over the past two years, with a further 70 per cent agreeing that their skills and experience were considered ahead of gender when applying for their first role in IT or tech, a new report shows.

Kaspersky’s global Women in Tech report, Where are we now? Understanding the evolution of women in technology, established progression in gender inclusivity in IT workplaces but notes that there is still room for improvement.

“The idea of gender equality represents more than just physical bodies through doors. It is also the notion of perceptions, feelings, stereotypes and opportunity. To this end, a positive sign of progression comes from more than two-thirds of women (69 per cent) now feeling confident that their opinions are respected from the very first day in a tech role,” the report shows.

The report also established working from home with an improvement in gender equality with 46 per cent of women agreeing that gender equality is improved among teams that work remotely.

However, despite a global improvement in perceptions around gender representation, the report found out that over a third (38 per cent) of women claim that a lack of women in the tech industry makes them wary of entering the sector.

44 per cent of women maintained that men progress faster than they do in the tech space with 41 per cent agreeing that a more equal gender split would be conducive to improved career progression and rectifying that mismatch.

To ensure women’s positive career experiences are reflected right across the globe, key steps and initiatives are needed to support a career in tech, including the provision of more mentoring or internship programs to provide access to opportunities and experience. But in order to instil a belief that the tech industry is a place for women to work and succeed, the journey needs to start much earlier.

“The issue of gender stereotypes needs to be addressed long before women enter the workplace. It needs to start at school, to engage and encourage an interest in IT and tech fields. The first step in a new direction is always the hardest. Without a supportive environment, girls can struggle to find kindred spirits in online communities or at relevant offline events.

“They need to see that IT professionals are ordinary people with diverse skillsets and abilities and that anyone can aspire to join the tech space,” Noushin Shabab, Senior Security Researcher, Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky said.

The report concluded that the link between representation, and overall behaviours, opportunity and equality, has not been made just yet.