- 87% of IT professionals agree there is a lack of gender diversity
- Three in four businesses struggle to hire and keep the right talent
- More women in tech would contribute to more than just inclusivity
New research from ISACA has confirmed that a troubling outlook for the IT industry remains – gender diversity remains a key challenge for the sector, and according to the research, not enough companies are doing enough to solve it.
Nine in 10 (87%) IT professionals surveyed for the report agree there is a notable lack of gender diversity within the sector, but not even half (41%) of companies have programs dedicated to hiring more women in tech.
The data comes from more than 7,700 tech professionals globally, highlighting the scale and extent of the challenge.
We need more women in tech
The report adds three in four (74%) businesses worldwide struggle to attract and retain talented professionals. They recognize they need broader pools of candidates and more robust talent pipelines to fill roles and plug skills gaps, yet they’re still not taking sufficient steps to hire more women.
Moreover, the lack of women in tech is making it even more inaccessible for women – two in five (43%) women say that a lack of female role models in IT is a critical factor. Only one in five (21%) men see this as an issue.
Furthermore, here we are just days away from 2025 and we’re still talking about pay inequality; 42% of women agree that this contributes to underrepresentation.
Speaking about the inclusivity and diversity benefits associated with encouraging and supporting more women in tech, ISACA Chief Membership Officer Julia Kanouse commented: “More needs to be done to increase the representation of women in the IT and technology sector – and more needs to be done to welcome their leadership and influence.”
Setting out a series of New Year’s Resolutions, the survey’s respondents are urging businesses to provide mentors or role models (52%), support more networking events for women in tech (42%) and hire more female tech processors (31%).
"Having a workforce of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to bring to the table is not only the right thing to do – it’s also a business imperative that makes an organization more innovative and it’s work that much more efficient and effective," noted ISACA's SheLeadsTech initiative UK and Europe lead, Sarah Orton.
"Progress has been made – but the sector has more work to do, and ISACA is supporting this important work.”
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