Cracking the Code: Women Rewriting Tech's Future

This is your Women in Business podcast.

Welcome to Women in Business, the podcast where we amplify voices, share real stories, and spotlight powerful trends shaping the world of women entrepreneurs and leaders. Today, I want to dive straight into the heart of the tech industry—a place where digital transformation is rewriting every rule, yet women remain deeply underrepresented. According to the WomenTech Network and the 2025 Women in Digital Annual Report, women now make up only about 27% of the global tech workforce. That means, in a room of four engineers or developers, just one is likely to be a woman. For context, at industry giants like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, women still account for only about a third or less of the workforce. And at the leadership level, the stats are even more stark; just 17% of tech CEOs are women.

So, what does it take to navigate this persistent gender gap, especially when disruptive changes in the economy and technology are happening faster than ever? Let’s get real about five major themes shaping the journey for women in tech right now.

First, representation matters. But we’re not just talking numbers on a spreadsheet. When women hold less than a quarter of technical roles, this directly impacts everything from project direction to the inclusivity of product development. The gender pay gap persists, too; women in tech earn roughly 94 cents for every dollar earned by a male colleague in computer science, and the gaps can be much wider in other specialties. Closing this gap isn’t just a diversity requirement—it’s an economic imperative. McKinsey & Company has shown that achieving gender parity in tech could add an astonishing $12 trillion to the global economy by 2025. That’s not just theoretical; it’s a future we all have a stake in building.

Second, burnout and attrition remain huge challenges. The sudden shift to remote work during the pandemic offered flexibility for many women, but it also led to spikes in burnout. More than half of women in technology roles report leaving their positions by the age of 35, citing stagnant career growth, poor work-life balance, and barriers to advancement. So, it’s not only about getting more women into tech—it’s about keeping them and supporting them all the way to the top.

Third, the pipeline problem isn't just about encouraging girls to pursue STEM. Although more women are entering tech programs, only about 21% of computer and information science degrees are awarded to women. Cultural barriers, lack of visible role models, and disparities in early education still deter many young women from ever imagining a future in tech.

Fourth, AI and emerging technologies are rapidly rewriting skills requirements, and there’s a risk women could be left behind again. Skillsoft’s most recent report found that upskilling in artificial intelligence is crucial for women’s advancement, yet 60% of women in tech aren’t yet using AI at work. As businesses step up AI adoption, helping women build these skills isn’t optional—it’s mission critical to shaping an equitable digital future.

Finally, let’s talk leadership. For all the talk about glass ceilings, the biggest obstacle can be the “missing middle”—mid-career women who hit barriers like inflexible offices or lack of support as they navigate caregiving. If we want more women in boardrooms and C-suites, organizations must invest in flexible opportunities, sponsorship, and real pathways for progression.

Thank you to all the women blazing new trails in technology and everyone listening who’s ready to champion this movement. Your ambition, resilience, and advocacy are driving real change. Subscribe for more powerful stories, share this episode, and keep the conversation going—because when women rise in tech, everyone benefits. 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 to Women in Business, the podcast where we amplify voices,
share real stories, and spotlight powerful trends shaping the world
of women, entrepreneurs and leaders today. I want to dive
straight into the heart of the tech industry, a place
where digital transformation is rewriting every rule, Yet women remain
deeply underrepresented. According to the Women Tech Network and the

(00:22):
twenty twenty five Women in Digital Annual Report, women now
make up only about twenty seven percent of the global
tech workforce. That means in a room of four engineers
or developers, just one is likely to be a woman.
For context, at industry giants like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google,
and Microsoft, women still account for only about a third

(00:42):
or less of the workforce, and at the leadership level,
the stats are even more stark. Just seventeen percent of
tech CEOs are women. So what does it take to
navigate this persistent gender gap, especially when destructive changes in
the economy and technology are happening faster than ever. Let's
get real about five major themes shaping the journey for

(01:03):
women in tech right now. First, representation matters, but we're
not just talking numbers on a spreadsheet. When women hold
less than a quarter of technical roles. This directly impacts
everything from project direction to the inclusivity of product development.
The gender pay gap persists too. Women in tech earn
roughly ninety four cents for every dollar earned by a

(01:24):
male colleague in computer science, and the gaps can be
much wider in other specialties. Closing this gap isn't just
a diversity requirement, it's an economic imperative. Mackenzie and Company
has shown that achieving gender parity in tech could add
an astonishing twelve dollars trillion to the global economy by
twenty twenty five. That's not just theoretical, it's a future

(01:44):
we all have a stake in building. Second, burnout and
attrition remain huge challenges. The sudden shift to remote work
during the pandemic offered flexibility for many women, but it
also led to spike some burnout. More than half of
women in technology roles report leaving their positions by the
age of thirty five, citing stagnant career growth, poor work
life balance, and barriers to advancement. So it's not only

(02:08):
about getting more women into tech, it's about keeping them
and supporting them all the way to the top third.
The pipeline problem isn't just about encouraging girls to pursue STEM.
Although more women are entering tech programs, only about twenty
one percent of computer and information science degrees are awarded
to women. Cultural barriers, lack of visible role models, and

(02:29):
disparities in early education still deter many young women from
ever imagining a future in tech. Fourth AI and emerging
technologies are rapidly rewriting skills requirements, and there's a risk
women could be left behind again. Skillsoft's most recent report
found that upskilling and artificial intelligence is crucial for women's advancement,
Yet sixty percent of women in tech aren't yet using

(02:50):
AI at work. As businesses step up AI adoption, helping
women build these skills isn't optional. Its mission critical to
shaping in equitable digital future. Finally, let's talk leadership. For
all the talk about glass ceilings, the biggest obstacle can
be the missing middle mid career women who hit barriers
like inflexible offices or lack of support as they navigate caregiving.

(03:13):
If we want more women in boardrooms and C suites,
organizations must invest in flexible opportunities, sponsorship, and real pathways
for progression. Thank you to all the women blazing new
trails and technology, and everyone listening who's ready to champion
this movement. Your ambition, resilience, and advocacy are driving real change.
Subscribe for more powerful stories, Share this episode and keep

(03:36):
the conversation going, because when women rise and tech, everyone benefits.
This has been a Quiet CLEAs production. For more, check
out Quiet Pleas dot ai.