• ISACA: Women in tech under-represented, paid worse.
• Lack of female role models, including in STEM education.
• Men largely unaware of gender pay gap.

IT governance organisation, ISACA, has published a new study that reveals an insufficient number of programmes or initiatives that promote hiring women into technology roles. Just 41% of the companies surveyed have specific mechanisms in place to hire more women. This is despite 87% of the 7,726 IT professionals surveyed agreeing that there is a lack of gender diversity in the tech sector.

ISACA’s Tech Workplace and Culture report discovered 74% of businesses acknowledge that attracting and retaining talented employees is a challenge, and have not yet implemented sufficient programmes to address the gender imbalance in the tech sector.

Chief Membership Officer at ISACA and leader of the SheLeadsTech, Julia Kanouse, advocates for greater gender diversity in the IT and tech sector.

“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.”

Kanouse says that increasing the representation of women in these sectors is important for many reasons.

“This will not only help to address the global skills gap and boost productivity in the sector – it will also create a more inclusive and diverse working environment.”

The ISACA women in tech study revealed that it’s difficult to identify any specific culprits for women’s under-representation in the sector. 21% of the male respondents and 43% of females believe the gender gap is down to the scarcity of female leaders and role models in IT.

42% of the women who took part in the survey said that pay inequality was a significant contributor to the under-representation, a view only 15 percent of male respondents shared.

According to ISACA’s survey, men and women rate their authority differently. Men feel they have more authority in some aspects of their roles when compared to women, with a 13% gap between the genders. For instance, men rated their ability to make decisions, like contributing to company strategies, more highly than women did (with a 10% gap).

To address the gender gap, and some of the awareness around its existence, 52% of respondents believe educational institutions can do more by promoting gender inclusion in the technology sector. 42% believe the establishment of tech clubs or organisations specifically for women to network would help support inclusion, while 31% suggest the recruitment of more female tech academics in higher education.

ISACA: Women in tech relatively content

Despite the findings, 68% of female respondents reported that they were extremely happy or extremely satisfied with their career progression, just 4% lower than men. In addition, 73% of women said they have received a salary increase or promotion in the last two years, 2% more than the men surveyed.

The findings may indicate positive career growth for both genders and the beginnings of basics like equal pay for both genders. But more needs to be done to hire women in technology and IT roles, according to Anna Murray, president and lead consultant of emedia, and member of the SheLeadsTech Advisory Council.

“Women thrive in tech roles, bringing unique perspectives and expertise to make impactful contributions in the industry and their organisations. It is vital for the IT sector to continue prioritising efforts to both address deterrents and increase awareness and outreach to bring more women into these professions and create a more equitable and balanced tech workforce.”

Murray believes that just one woman can make a significant impact, saying, “Each woman added to the tech force impacts dozens of other women. Because you need to see it to believe it.”

The technology sector, like much of STEM, continues to be a male-dominated environment, with women still facing significant barriers to representation and leadership roles. While there are positive signs of change, ISACA highlights that more work needs to be done by organisations worldwide.

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