Tech's Missing Middle: Empowering Women from Columbia to San Jose

This is your Women in Business podcast.

Let me jump right into the heart of today’s conversation. Picture yourself walking into a buzzing co-working space in Columbia, South Carolina, where the hum isn’t just about tech—it’s about women leading the charge in one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors. According to CoworkingCafe, Columbia has emerged as a leader in gender diversity in tech, proving that innovation isn’t confined to Silicon Valley or Austin.

Let’s talk about representation. Right now, women make up about 26 to 28 percent of the global tech workforce, as reported by Spacelift.io. In the U.S., that number bumps up to nearly 28 percent, and in leadership, it’s even starker—only about 14 percent of global tech leaders are women, according to Nash Squared. But here’s what’s exciting: that’s up from just 8 percent a decade ago. Progress is slow, but it’s happening. And according to McKinsey & Company, closing this gap could add an estimated $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. That’s a staggering number, and it shows just how much potential is being left on the table when women aren’t fully included.

Now, let’s get personal. If you’re a woman in tech, or you know one, you’re familiar with the “missing middle.” The Women in Digital Report 2025 dives deep into how mid-career women often face a slowdown. It’s not about ambition—it’s about structures that don’t support caregiving or flexible work. That’s where retention drops off and the pipeline starts to leak. In Australia, for example, the challenge is no longer just attracting women into tech—it’s about keeping them, advancing them, and seeing them in the C-suite. Only 17 percent of tech companies globally have a woman as CEO, and just 8 percent have a female CTO, according to StrongDM.

Pay equity is another critical issue. In the U.S., women in computer science earn 94 percent of what men do—one of the smallest gaps in the industry—but across all tech roles, men still earn more for nearly two-thirds of jobs. And when it comes to startups, female CEOs earn about $20,000 less than their male counterparts, says StrongDM. But cities like San Jose, California, continue to set the bar high for earnings, with women in tech there pulling in an average of $161,000 annually. Meanwhile, places like Little Rock, Arkansas, are seeing the fastest wage growth for women in the field, showing that opportunity isn’t just on the coasts.

The rise of remote work and inclusive policies is starting to shift the needle. The WomenTech Network notes that by 2025, flexible work, improved support networks, and intersectional diversity efforts are expected to help retain more women in tech. And let’s not forget the role of AI. According to Skillsoft, learning about AI is now a critical pathway for women to stay competitive. Of those already using AI, nearly three-quarters feel more productive. The catch? Only 40 percent of women in tech are currently using these tools, and 60 percent are not. With 75 percent of companies planning to increase their use of AI by 2028, there’s a real risk of the gender gap widening if we don’t act now.

Here are five key points to take away from today’s episode: First, representation matters—both in general roles and in leadership, and progress is happening, but slowly. Second, the mid-career slowdown, or “missing middle,” is a real barrier, and we need workplace structures that support caregiving and flexibility to keep talented women in tech. Third, while pay gaps are narrowing in some areas, there’s still work to be done to achieve true equity, especially in startups and executive roles. Fourth, remote and flexible work policies are helping, but burnout remains a challenge—support networks and inclusive cultures are crucial. And fifth, AI literacy is now essential for career advancement, and women must be empowered to develop these skills or risk falling further behind.

So, let’s keep pushing for that $12 trillion opportunity. Let’s celebrate the women driving change from Columbia to San Jose, and let’s build workplaces that don’t just attract women, but keep them, support them, and see them rise. Because when women thrive in tech, the entire industry—and the world—stands to benefit.

Thank you for joining today’s episode of Women in Business. If you’re inspired by today’s stories and insights, please subscribe for more conversations about women shaping the future of business.

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):
Let me jump right into the heart of today's conversation.
Picture yourself walking into a buzzing co working space in Columbia,
South Carolina, where the hum isn't just about tech, it's
about women leading the charge in one of the country's
fastest growing sectors. According to Coworking Cafe, Colombia has emerged
as a leader in gender diversity in tech, proving that

(00:21):
innovation isn't confined to Silicon Valley or Austin. Let's talk
about representation. Right now, women make up about twenty six
to twenty eight percent of the global tech workforce, as
reported by spacelift dot io. In the US, that number
bumps up to nearly twenty eight percent, and in leadership
it's even starker. Only about fourteen percent of global tech

(00:43):
leaders are women, according to Nash squared. But here's what's exciting.
That's up from just eight percent a decade ago. Progress
is slow, but it's happening, and according to Mackenzie and Company,
closing this gap could add an estimated twelve dollars trillion
dollars to global GDP by twenty twenty five. That's a

(01:04):
staggering number, and it shows just how much potential is
being left on the table when women aren't fully included. Now,
let's get personal. If you're a woman in tech or
you know one, you're familiar with the missing middle. The
Women in Digital Report twenty twenty five dives deep into
how mid career women often face a slowdown. It's not

(01:26):
about ambition, it's about structures that don't support caregiving or
flexible work. That's where retention drops off and the pipeline
starts to leak. In Australia, for example, the challenge is
no longer just attracting women into tech. It's about keeping them,
advancing them, and seeing them in the c suite. Only
seventeen percent of tech companies globally have a woman as CEO,

(01:48):
and just eight percent have a female CTO, according to
strong DM. Pay equity is another critical issue in the US,
Women in computer science are ninety four percent of what
men do, one of the smallest as in the industry,
but across all tech roles, men still earn more for
nearly two thirds of jobs, and when it comes to
start ups, female CEOs earn about twenty thousand dollars less

(02:10):
than their male counterparts, says strong DM. But cities like
San Jose, California, continue to set the bar high for earnings,
with women in tech there pulling in an average of
one hundred and sixty one thousand dollars annually. Meanwhile, places
like Little Rock, Arkansas are seeing the fastest wage growth
for women in the field, showing that opportunity isn't just

(02:30):
on the coasts. The rise of remote work and inclusive
policies is starting to shift the needle. The Women Tech
Network notes that by twenty twenty five, flexible work, improved
support networks, and intersectional diversity efforts are expected to help
retain more women in tech. And let's not forget the
role of AI. According to Skillsoft, learning about AI is

(02:51):
now a critical pathway for women to stay competitive. Of
those already using AI, nearly three quarters feel more productive.
The catch only forty percent of women in tech are
currently using these tools and sixty percent are not. With
seventy five percent of companies planning to increase their use
of AI by twenty twenty eight, there's a real risk
of the gender gap widening if we don't act now.

(03:13):
Here are five key points to take away from today's episode. First,
representation matters both in general roles and in leadership, and
progress is happening, but slowly. Second, the mid career slowdown
or missing middle is a real barrier, and we need
workplace structures that support caregiving and flexibility to keep talented

(03:34):
women in tech. Third, while pay gaps are narrowing in
some areas, there's still work to be done to achieve
true equity, especially in startups and executive roles. Fourth, remote
and flexible work policies are helping, but burnout remains a challenge.
Support networks and inclusive cultures are crucial. And Fifth, AI

(03:54):
literacy is now essential for career advancement, and women must
be empowered to develop these skills or risk falling further behind.
So let's keep pushing for that twelve dollars trillion opportunity.
Let's celebrate the women driving change from Columbia to San Jose,
and let's build work places that don't just attract women,
but keep them, support them, and see them rise. Because

(04:17):
when women thrive in tech, the entire industry and the
world stands to benefit. Thank you for joining today's episode
of Women in Business. If you're inspired by today's stories
and insights, please subscribe for more conversations about women shaping
the future of business. This has been a quiet please production.
For more check out quiet please dot ai