According to studies such as Women in the Workplace report, and the Accenture/Girls Who Code report, women in tech have lost ground since 2020, the numbers dropping by over 2%.  I wondered if the drop in numbers was for just engineers or heavily technical roles, and perhaps more women were moving into product and administrative roles, but the various surveys considered anyone in a tech-related field.  The number of women obtaining degrees in Computer Science is falling, too.  Even with all of the work to attract women to tech fields, showing the different paths women can take in tech, and programs to hire women into tech, the pandemic had a larger impact on women than men.   Even with the work-from-home opportunities available to many, women are overwhelmingly responsible for child and senior adult care and more left the field than joined.

               I also wonder how many re-evaluated their careers and lives and chose to give up on the fight to move forward in such a heavily male-dominated field, often associated with working long hours yet seeming to offer less advancement opportunities for women.  Perhaps they were tired of trying to get ahead on a broken platform that seems tilted to always keep them from going higher, or the micro and macro aggressions of a bro culture. Inflexible return-to-office policies have also turned some away.

               This is obviously a huge concern.  We are in the age of tech and need more tech workers in all areas than ever.  With advancements in areas such as AI, the shortage of talent in Cybersecurity, and the retirement of the Baby Boomers, we need more talent and voices to keep moving tech forward.  Organizations need to give time and attention to attracting and retaining women, or they are losing a big talent and innovation pool.

#womenintech