Stats Indicate a Decline of Female Leaders in Technology 

There has never been a perception of the tech industry as a particularly female-friendly field, but the reality may be quite the opposite.

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With the departures of Meta's chief business officer Marne Levine and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki in February, the already slim ranks of prominent women in digital leadership have shrunk even further in recent weeks.

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Tacy Byham, chief executive officer of DDI, an international human resources and leadership development consultancy firm, says it's not surprising that there aren't many women in IT leadership positions. This is given the context of Women's History Month.

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According to studies conducted by her company over the past 20 years, although the proportion of women in technology leadership positions has increased, it has never exceeded 33%.

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To be clear, in their most recent annual diversity reports, both Meta and YouTube parent Google reported increasing numbers of women in leadership posts year over year — Alphabet at 30.5% and Meta at 36.7%.

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Yet according to DDI's 2023 Global Leadership Forecast, which polled 13,695 business leaders from more than 1,500 businesses worldwide and 1,827 human resources professionals, the proportion of women in tech leadership roles is moving downward, now at 28%.

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Byham continued, "During the past two years, we've seen that percentage shrink considerably." She also mentioned the pandemic's impact on caregiving obligations as well as the industry's isolation as contributing factors.

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Furthermore, according to Byham, women leave their jobs due to a disproportionate level of workplace inequality, stress, and burnout.

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Women must be provided with the means to advance

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Many women frequently feel they don't have the same prospects for promotions and career growth as males, whether it's due to an all-boys-club mentality or a lack of mentorship and training.

This is more general data, not tech-specific, but what we're seeing is that the main reason women leave leadership positions at all levels is that they don't feel like they have the opportunity to progress,” according to Byham.

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When businesses invest in helping employees feel like leaders as they advance and change jobs, Byham said she has observed results in increasing the number of women in senior positions with customers at DDI. This entails ensuring they have the appropriate skills, ensuring they get insight from assessments, and giving all female employees coaching and mentorship.

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According to Byham, women often don't want promotions or advancements, preferring to be recognized for their dedication to work and success. Exposure to other coworkers and company resources, however, is a crucial element that is lacking in professional development.

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Establish mentoring initiatives for female employees

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Due to their propensity to select remote work more frequently than males, women are more likely to lack exposure to colleagues in the area of hybrid work. This is according to Byham.

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"This new problem is being caused by a lack of exposure. It's referred to as the Zoom ceiling instead of a glass ceiling,” Byham explained. "You're no longer in view. You have lost your mind.”

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To offset this, mentoring is necessary, and tech companies must set up mentorship programs to assist women in finding other female voices within their organizations.

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According to Amanda Sanchez, head of user experience and design at BairesDev, a multinational provider of software solutions with headquarters in Brazil, "most women working in the technology industry are mentored and guided by men." Nonetheless, it makes sense that women would feel better at ease being trained and mentored by other women so they can picture themselves in those roles.

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Be deliberate while educating teams and leaders

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Lack of sufficient training for women when they are employed for responsibilities, and even when they rise into leadership and managerial roles, is one of many systemic workplace difficulties. Others include a lack of pay transparency and straightforward HR tools.

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Byham complained that "too many companies essentially throw a system at the wall and say, "Here, just get there, find it, and go do it." Training isn't curated. It's not relevant to the company. It lacks flexibility and is not tailored to the difficulties that a leader faces.

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Byham concluded that as a result, women frequently fall behind and must learn how to lead themselves. The issue is exacerbated by the fact that, on average, most businesses don't provide leadership training to staff members until close to four years after they begin their position.

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When it comes to most situations, Byham said, "what happens is they're thrown into the deep end and nobody educates them on what to do or how to sit across the table and have a performance talk. How do you know how to advise someone if they are falling short? How can you increase trust? These are crucial elements.”

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Companies must be more deliberate when creating teams or training managers and leaders, according to the expert, or they risk losing this talent.

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Byham continued, "If people are leaving, it's typically because they're either failing or they weren't prepared for success. They lack self-assurance or believe they aren't progressing, or both. As a business, you ought to prioritize and plan for significant growth with intention."

Eliminate the disparity between the jobs performed by men and women

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According to Byham, one significant distinction between men and women in tech is the nature of the work that is given to them. This is comparable to the tasks that they choose to undertake.

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Byham claimed that women frequently take on "non-promotable or office housekeeping jobs," such as organizing the workplace holiday party or other administrative tasks.

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Often, these duties do not provide the points required to advance from mid-level to executive-level leadership. ”Also, women mentor at a higher rate than men. Compared to males, women work more in DE&I. Men and women are represented on selection committees. Promotions do not usually result from those tasks.

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“In order for women to advance in their careers,” Byham continued, “they must be given the same exposure and clearly assignable work as males.”

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"They believe that the ladies will be okay. They are devoted to the company,” Byham remarked. “Yet they'll leave if they don't see the benefits for themselves, either now at their current firm or even what is promised to them in the future.”