Bridging the Tech Gap: Women Pioneering an Equitable Future

This is your Women in Business podcast.

Welcome back to Women in Business. Today, we’re jumping straight into a topic that is both urgent and full of possibility: how women are navigating the current economic landscape in the tech industry. If you’re a woman in tech or an ally, what you’re about to hear matters for all of us—because the world runs on technology, but it doesn’t run equitably just yet.

Let’s set the scene. According to the latest data from AIPRM and Nash Squared, women still make up less than a third of tech roles in the US—about 27%. And leadership? Globally, only around 14% of tech leaders are women. That’s progress compared to a decade ago, but it also means for every woman leader you see in tech, there are six men in those top seats. It’s no surprise that career-driven women often hit the glass ceiling, especially in fields like software engineering or cybersecurity, where representation can dip as low as 20%.

But here’s the thing: tech is finally starting to feel the power and potential of women shaping its future. We’re seeing women, like Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, tackle the gender gap from the ground up. Saujani’s mission isn’t just about coding—it’s about changing the norms so that young girls and women see themselves at the center of tomorrow’s tech conversations. Initiatives like hers, and those from the Australia-based Women in Digital community, are proving that when women are given opportunities and support, they stay, grow, and lead. What’s even more inspiring? Cities like Columbia, South Carolina, are now being recognized for gender diversity, showing that progress doesn’t just belong to Silicon Valley anymore.

Let’s be real, though: the path isn’t without hurdles. The latest Women in Digital report from Australia calls out the “Missing Middle” problem—women making strides early in their careers, only to see momentum stall mid-way, often due to caregiving responsibilities or inflexible workplace structures. Around 59% of women in tech consider quitting due to lack of growth or advancement. Clearly, companies need to do more than just recruit women—they have to create cultures where women actually want to stay.

And in 2025, the tech landscape is being redefined by rapid advancement in artificial intelligence. According to Skillsoft, most women in tech know they need AI skills to bridge the next gap, but access to training and mentorship remains patchy. That’s why forward-thinking organizations are investing in upskilling and making sure women have the support to lead in these emerging fields. Studies, like the one published by McKinsey & Company, show that closing the tech gender gap could add a staggering $12 trillion to the global GDP by 2025. So, equitable tech isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a smart move for business and the economy.

Let’s highlight some key discussion points for women in tech navigating these times. First, how can women convert challenges—like pay gaps and underrepresentation—into opportunities for entrepreneurship and new leadership models? Second, what practical steps and resources best help women mid-career, especially those at risk of falling into the “Missing Middle”? Third, where are the top regions or tech sectors now recognizing and rewarding female talent? Fourth, how can women best position themselves for emerging fields like AI, and what can organizations do to close this next skills gap? And fifth, what real impact does mentorship and strong peer networks make for retaining and advancing women in tech?

Thank you for tuning in to Women in Business. If today’s conversation inspired you, don’t forget to subscribe and share with your network. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to women in business Today. We're jumping straight
into a topic that is both urgent and full of possibility.
How women are navigating the current economic landscape in the
tech industry. If you're a woman in tech or an ally,
what you're about to hear matters for all of us
because the world runs on technology, but it doesn't run
equitably just yet. Let's set the scene. According to the

(00:21):
latest data from AIPRM and Nash squared, women still make
up less than a third of tech roles in the
US about twenty seven percent, and leadership globally, only around
fourteen percent of tech leaders are women. That's progress compared
to a decade ago, but it also means for every
woman leader you see in tech, there are six men
in those top seats. It's no surprise that career driven

(00:44):
women often hit the glass ceiling, especially in fields like
software engineering or cybersecurity, where representation can dip as low
as twenty percent. But here's the thing. Tech is finally
starting to feel the power and potential of women shaping
its future. We're seeing women like Rashma Suzani, founder of
Girls Who Code, tackle the gender gap from the ground up.

(01:05):
So Johnny's mission isn't just about coding, It's about changing
the norms so that young girls and women see themselves
at the center of tomorrow's tech conversations. Initiatives like hers
and those from the Australia based Women in Digital community
are proving that when women are given opportunities and support,
they stay, grow and lead. What's even more inspiring, cities

(01:26):
like Columbia, South Carolina are now being recognized for gender diversity,
showing that progress doesn't just belong to Silicon Valley anymore.
Let's be real, though the path isn't without hurdles. The
latest Women in Digital report from Australia calls out the
missing middle problem, women making strides early in their careers,
only to see momentum stall midway, often due to caregiving

(01:47):
responsibilities or inflexible workplace structures. Around fifty nine percent of
women in tech consider quitting due to lack of growth
or advancement. Clearly, companies need to do more than just
recruit women. They have to create cultures where women actually
want to stay. And in twenty twenty five, the tech
landscape is being redefined by rapid advancement in artificial intelligence.

(02:08):
According to skillsoft. Most women in tech know they need
AI skills to bridge the next gap, but access to
training and mentorship remains patchy. That's why forward thinking organizations
are investing in upskilling and making sure women have the
support to lead in these emerging fields. Studies like the
one published by Mackenzie and Company show that closing the
tech gender gap could add a staggering twelve dollars trillion

(02:32):
to the global GDP by twenty twenty five. So equitable
tech isn't just the right thing to do, it's a
smart move for business and the economy. Let's highlight some
key discussion points for women in tech navigating these times. First,
how can women convert challenges like pay gaps and under
representation into opportunities for entrepreneurship and new leadership models? Second,

(02:55):
what practical steps and resources best help women mid career,
especially those at risk of falling into the missing middle. Third,
where are the top regions or tech sectors now recognizing
and rewarding female talent? Fourth, how can women best position
themselves for emerging fields like AI and what can organizations

(03:15):
do to close this next skills gap? And? Fifth, what
real impact does mentorship and strong peer networks make for
retaining and advancing women in tech. Thank you for tuning
in to women in business. If today's conversation inspired you,
don't forget to subscribe and share with your network. This
has been a quiet please production. For more checkout Quiet

(03:37):
Please dot ai