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Smashing the Silicon Ceiling: Women Thriving in Tech
This is your Women in Business podcast.
Welcome back to Women in Business. Today, I'm diving straight into how women are navigating the current economic landscape, especially in the tech industry—a sector that shapes our world and defines empowerment in this digital age.
Let’s get real with the numbers. According to the WomenTech Network, women now make up about 35% of the tech workforce. That’s a leap forward from two decades ago when it was under 10%. But progress is uneven. Within the big tech names—Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft—female representation ranges from 29% to 45%, and it drops even lower in senior leadership roles, where only about a quarter of these positions are held by women. Even more concerning, women in technology are 1.6 times more likely to face layoffs than their male counterparts, with layoffs in recent years disproportionately affecting women. This combination of fragile job security and underrepresentation at the top leads to a core challenge: how do women stay and thrive in tech, not just enter?
This brings me to our first big discussion point: representation isn't just about hiring; it's about retention and genuine opportunity. Studies like the ones from Girls Who Code and Accenture show that up to 50% of women leave the tech industry by age 35, often citing poor work-life balance, limited advancement, and ongoing bias. Even as tech firms expand their early-career opportunities, support for women clearly fades at higher levels. The 2025 Women in Digital Annual Report points out that only 22% of employees over 55 see a clear path to promotion in tech, with confidence gaps and lack of mentorship amplifying the effect.
Second, pay equity remains a fundamental issue. Women in tech roles in the US earn about 83 cents for every dollar a man in a similar role makes, and the gap is even wider for women of color. In certain parts of the UK, just 8% of women in tech believe they're paid the same as men for the same work. That’s both a call to action and a reason many talented women reconsider staying in tech long-term.
Third, funding and entrepreneurship present more hurdles. Despite women-led startups demonstrating strong performance, only 2.3% manage to secure venture capital funding. Leaders like Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, call out the need for not just more startup capital, but also for more women making investment decisions.
Fourth, the rise of AI and generative technologies is an opportunity, but also a potential trap. According to Deloitte, less than a third of the global AI workforce is female. As the influence of AI grows, the absence of women from this space risks perpetuating bias in technology and missing out on innovative potential.
Fifth, let’s talk about solutions—mentorship, sponsorship, and supportive networks. Around 90% of women who have left tech say they’d return if workplaces genuinely improved support, flexibility, and advancement opportunities. Organizations are beginning to embrace this message; the World Economic Forum has noted an increase in female hiring in tech leadership since 2016. But the shift needs to accelerate. Expanding mentorship, transparent promotion pathways, and tackling gender bias are critical to ensuring women not only enter tech but are equipped to lead.
Thank you for tuning in to Women in Business. Remember to subscribe for thought-provoking insights and stories from inspiring women shaping the future. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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Published on 1 month ago