Breaking Tech's Glass Ceiling: Women Redefining an Industry

This is your Women in Business podcast.

Welcome to Women in Business, where we tackle the real-world challenges and triumphs of women shaping today’s economy. Let’s dive into how women are navigating the current economic landscape—especially in tech, an industry both defined by progress and stubborn structural gaps.

Across the United States, women now make up about 35% of the tech workforce—a leap from just 9% in the early 2000s, according to WomenTech Network. But this means women still represent just over a third of the talent driving innovation in a sector that powers entire economies. For listeners eyeing leadership, the contrast stands out more. At major tech companies like Amazon and Google, only about 28% to 34% of executives are women, showing a real need to expand those pipelines to power positions.

Why are these figures moving so slowly upward? The answers reflect systemic challenges. Gender bias remains pervasive: Nearly three out of four women in tech report that bias has affected their promotion or leadership opportunities, and over half mention facing direct discrimination or harassment in their careers. Mentorship is another pain point—58% of women feel they lack the networking access enjoyed by male colleagues, a clear setback in an industry where who you know can open doors as much as what you know.

Today’s economic uncertainty also throws up fresh barriers. With waves of layoffs that began in 2022, women have often been hit disproportionately hard. Contract workers in tech, a group where women are strongly represented, faced some of the largest cuts. As venture capital tightens and companies scramble to control expenses, leadership roles seem even more out of reach, making persistence and resilience more crucial than ever.

Yet, despite these persistent challenges, signs of progress and hope shine through. Remote work, accelerated by the pandemic, has given many women new flexibility, making it possible to juggle personal aspirations with demanding roles. Some cities—think Little Rock and Columbia—are challenging old assumptions by leading in wage growth and gender diversity, reminding us that opportunity isn’t confined to Silicon Valley alone.

Education forms the foundation for the next generation of women in tech, but the gender gap remains stark. While women now earn about 21% of computer science degrees nationally, their presence dwindles even further in advanced STEM programs and among underrepresented groups. That’s why initiatives like Girls Who Code and WomenTech Network’s leadership programs matter—they’re seeding tomorrow’s talent, closing gaps one cohort at a time.

For this episode, we’ll dig deeper into five crucial discussion points. First, the current state of gender representation in tech—from entry-level to the C-suite. Second, the ongoing impact of economic downturns and layoffs on women’s career trajectories. Third, the persistent gaps in STEM education, especially among minority women, and efforts to close them. Fourth, the evolving workplace—how remote work and geographic shifts are creating both challenges and fresh pockets of opportunity. Finally, we’ll spotlight strategies women are using to break through barriers, from mentorship networks to advocacy, and how allies can help reshape outcomes.

Thank you for tuning in to Women in Business. Subscribe to keep up with stories, stats, and strategies that elevate women in the workplace. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Women in Business, where we tackle the real
world challenges and triumphs of women shaping today's economy. Let's
dive into how women are navigating the current economic landscape,
especially in tech, an industry both defined by progress and
stubborn structural gaps. Across the United States, women now make
up about thirty five percent of the tech workforce, a
leap from just nine percent in the early two thousands,

(00:21):
according to Women Tech Network, But this means women still
represent just over a third of the talent driving innovation
in a sector that power is entire economies for listeners
eyeing leadership. The contrast stands out more at major tech
companies like Amazon and Google. Only about twenty eight percent
to thirty four percent of executives are women, showing a
real need to expand those pipelines to power positions. Why

(00:44):
are these figures moving so slowly upward? The answers reflect
systemic challenges. Gender bias remains pervasive. Merely three out of
four women in tech report that bias has affected their
promotion or leadership opportunities, and over half mentioned facing direct
discrimination or harassment in their careers. Menship is another pain point.

(01:05):
Fifty eight percent of women feel they lack the networking
access enjoyed by male colleagues, a clear setback in an
industry where who you know can open doors as much
as what you know. Today's economic uncertainty also throws up
fresh barriers. With waves of layoffs that began in twenty
twenty two, women have often been hit disproportionately hard. Contract

(01:25):
workers in tech, a group where women are strongly represented,
faced some of the largest cuts. As venture capital titans
and companies scramble to control expenses, Leadership roles seem even
more out of reach, making persistence and resilience more crucial
than ever. Yet, despite these persistent challenges, signs of progress
and hope shine through remote work accelerated by the pandemic

(01:49):
has given many women new flexibility, making it possible to
juggle personal aspirations with demanding roles. Some cities think Little
Rock and Columbia are challenging old assumptions by leading in
wage growth and gender diversity, reminding us that opportunity isn't
confined to Silicon Valley alone. Education forms the foundation for

(02:10):
the next generation of women in tech, but the gender
gap remains stark. While women now earn about twenty one
percent of computer science degrees nationally. Their present windows even
further in advanced STEM programs and among underrepresented groups. That's
why initiatives like Girls Who Code and Women Tech Networks

(02:30):
Leadership Programs matter. They're seating tomorrow's talent, closing gaps one
cohort at a time. For this episode, will dig deeper
into five crucial discussion points. First, the current state of
gender representation in tech from entry level to the c suite. Second,
the ongoing impact of economic downturns and layoffs on women's

(02:52):
career trajectories. Third, the persistent gaps in STEM education, especially
among minority women, and efforts to close them. Fourth, the
evolving workplace, how remote work and geographic shifts are creating
both challenges and fresh pockets of opportunity. Finally, will spotlight
strategies women are using to break through barriers, from mentorship

(03:14):
networks to advocacy, and how allies can help reshape outcomes.
Thank you for tuning in to Women in Business. Subscribe
to keep up with stories, stats, and strategies that elevate
women in the workplace. This has been a quiet Please production.
For more check out Quiet Please dot ai