International Women in Tech Day arrives at a time when the sector is trying to pull in more women and keep them there. Data from BCS shows women make up 22% of the technology workforce, a figure Aileen Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer at RAIN Alliance, says is moving in the right direction, even if slowly.
Ryan said: “This International Women in Tech Day, I thought it prudent to highlight why I think now truly is the best time for woman starting out in the technology industry and how it holds the possibilities of finding purpose beyond the profession.”
She added: “Women now make up 22% of the technology workforce, according to BCS, and the numbers of female senior leaders and female-founded businesses are slowly but surely increasing; it’s vital the industry maintains this momentum and continues to present itself as an attractive and exciting sector in which women can pursue a career.”
There is also a financial angle. The UK government said the economy loses between £2 and £3.5 billion each year when women leave tech roles. That number, published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, gives weight to calls for better access and support at every career stage.
Government action has started to move and this can be seen with the £4 million TechFirst Women’s Programme that aims to back 300 placements, with a return-to-work scheme for those who have taken time out. The same announcement also confirmed that thousands of girls aged 12 and 13 will take part in a new national tech competition.
Why Are Women Still Underrepresented in leadership and technical roles?
The gap starts to become more visible the higher up you get. Sarah Barslund Lauridsen, Chief Product Officer at Nexi Group, pointed to hiring habits as one of the reasons leadership teams often look the same.
She said: “Women represent 50% of the population, but much less than half of senior leadership positions. Fintech could better address this by solving its diversity problem more broadly – if companies recruit from the same narrow pools, they will continue to hire people who resemble current leadership.”
Lauridsen also spoke about where women tend to sit within tech roles. She said many work in design or product, rather than engineering or infrastructure, which affects who moves into senior technical leadership later on.
She said: “Many women work in technology, but often in design or product roles rather than engineering or infrastructure. Creating potential depends on enabling exposure, introducing programming earlier and more broadly in education, to deliver fundamental change in the range of people who can see a path forward in technical careers.”
The UK government backed this point with its own findings. It said AI systems used in hiring favour male names nearly 5 times more than female ones, and medical AI tools have missed diseases in women at double the rate. These gaps shape who gets hired and who moves up.
How are companies and governments trying to fix access?
Efforts now stretch from school to senior roles. The TechFirst Girls Competition, backed by IBM and the UK government, will reach thousands of young students and give them early exposure to coding and AI. The aim is to make tech feel like a real option before career choices are locked in.
At the other end, returnship programmes are trying to fix the “CV gap” issue. The UK government confirmed a pilot scheme through the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, giving experienced developers a way back into senior roles after 18 months or more away from work.
Ryan relates the effort to the purpose of working in tech. She said: “In my role as President & CEO of the RAIN Alliance, every day I am involved in decisions that improve how we all interact with everyday items. RAIN RFID technology enables entire industries – including retail, logistics and supply chain, and healthcare – to achieve greater efficiency, sustainability, and circularity. The RAIN Alliance serves as a collective voice for this community, working to enhance lives, empower industries, and build a more sustainable, intelligent future.”
She added: “Working in tech is so much more than just a job. It’s meeting the needs of the people and the planet through technology and engineering advancements, and a career in tech allows us to sit at the forefront of this change and innovation.”
