Statistics on female software developers

I cannot wait to read 404: Women Not Found by the incredible Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE. What an incredible, uncomfortable, and sadly necessary title. It stopped me in my tracks and sent me down a familiar rabbit hole. Have we actually shifted the needle for women in tech, or have we just talked about it more loudly? Some sobering context: • Early 1990s: women made up ~35% of programmers in the US and UK • Early 2000s: this fell to ~28% • 2010s: down again to ~22% • Early 2020s: hovering stubbornly around 20–23% of coding roles Despite decades of initiatives, investment, and intent, the trend line tells a story of decline, not progress. So what will the history books say when they look back on this period? That we spotted the problem and still failed to fix it? Or that we stood at an inflection point and finally changed the narrative? Which brings me to AI. Today, women represent roughly 22% of AI and data science roles globally. Leadership and research roles are even lower. But unlike previous tech waves, this one is still being written. Predictions suggest that with deliberate action, representation in #AI could rise to 30% or more by 2030. That is not inevitable. It only happens if we design inclusively, hire intentionally, and challenge who we think “belongs” in these rooms. AI could either automate our existing biases at scale, or become the greatest opportunity we have had to reset the system. Books like this matter because they force us to pause and ask the harder question. Are women missing from tech… Or has tech been missing women all along? October 2026 cannot come soon enough. #WomenInTech #AI #Leadership #Inclusion #TheCareerMum #404WomenNotFound #FutureOfWork #Representation

What does the future look like for women in Salesforce technical roles? I analyzed data from the 2024 and 2025 Salesforce Surveys to understand how gender representation is evolving across development, architecture, and admin roles. A few insights stood out: - Female developer representation increased from 20% to 22.7% year over year - Admin roles remain the most gender-balanced, showing what is possible - More women are entering — and staying in — senior technical pathways - Remote work continues to play a critical role in accessibility - Confidence and self-assessment still influence how expertise is reported Progress is happening, but it’s incremental — and it raises important questions about access, flexibility, visibility, and long-term retention in technical careers. In this piece, I explore what the data tells us, where momentum is building, and what Salesforce, employers, and the community can do to make technical roles more accessible for women. 👉 https://lnkd.in/emUTpEnz I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from those working in development or architecture roles. What’s made the biggest difference in your career journey? #Salesforce #DEI SalesforceAdmins #SalesforceDevelopers #SalesforceArchitects #SalesforceJobs #WomenInTech #WIT

"Women’s share of tech jobs has increased across advanced economies since the pandemic, helped by strong demand, gender equality policies and greater tolerance of flexible working arrangements. The notoriously large gender gap in the tech sector has narrowed across the US, EU and the UK in the past four years, an FT analysis of official data shows. Yet despite the improvement in the gender balance, men still dominate employment in the sector. That has led to calls for greater diversity in hiring at a time when the industry is developing crucial new artificial intelligence technologies. 'We are just at a critical point with regard to AI,' said Athene Margaret Donald, professor emerita of experimental physics at the University of Cambridge. 'You need a diverse workforce to make sure . . . that you find some way around any bias that is present. We need more minorities, women, people of colour in the room to make sure that we get this right.' In the US, the proportion of female workers in tech rose from 31% in 2019 to 35% by the end of 2023, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were just under 900,000 female workers in computer programming and related services out of 2.5mn in total last year." #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMGems #GiveGirlsRoleModels https://lnkd.in/gkAjyDN2

In recent years, the role of women in technology has been a hot topic, and for good reason. As we continue to push for more representation, it's worth taking a step back to see how far we've come and where there's room for improvement. Let's look at some statistics: - Women represent 24% of all tech jobs, up from 21% just five years ago 📈. - 15.9% of women hold leadership positions in IT, a small but significant increase 👩💼. - Companies with more women in tech roles see a 35% higher return on equity. - In life sciences, women make up 47% of the workforce but only 24% of leadership roles. - For AI research roles, women hold just 18% of the positions. - The software industry has 22% female professionals. - Only 14% of hardware positions are held by women. - Women constitute 28% of the workforce in SAAS companies. While these numbers show progress, there's still a long way to go to achieve true gender parity in the tech and IT sectors. Here are some key areas that need attention: - Mentorship Programs: Providing guidance to women through mentorship can bridge gaps and foster career growth. - Balanced Hiring Practices: Ensure job descriptions and recruitment processes are free of biases and appeal to a wide range of candidates. - Work-Life Balance: Flexible work options and parental leave policies can significantly impact retention rates for women in tech. These steps not only help in improving gender representation but also drive innovation and productivity. #WomenInTech #EqualityInTech #HiringWomen

Continuing our International Women’s Day week reflection, the data still shows clear challenges for women in technology. Even with diversity and inclusion initiatives in place at many companies, women remain underrepresented in core technical fields such as software engineering and artificial intelligence. In many teams, less than 20% of technical roles are held by women. Retention is another critical issue. Research indicates that up to 40% of women leave the tech industry before the age of 35, often due to unwelcoming environments or limited advancement opportunities. At the same time, there are encouraging signs. Organizations that implement structured growth programs, mentorship initiatives, and pay transparency policies are seeing measurable improvements in satisfaction and retention of women in technical and leadership roles. These findings reinforce an important truth: leading with inclusion is not just a moral choice. It is a strategy for sustainable innovation. For those interested in diving deeper, the data is available here: https://lnkd.in/e3k8jVfx https://lnkd.in/ejrA-btk In your organization, which practices have proven most effective not only in attracting but in retaining and promoting women in technology? Let’s talk about real initiatives and measurable impact. #womenintech #techinnovation #diversityandinclusion #leadership #futureofwork #AI

The economics of women in international tech in 2026 come down to three numbers: 27%, 2.3%, and 130 years. Women hold roughly 27% of global tech roles, despite making up nearly half the total workforce. That gap alone costs the global economy trillions in unrealized innovation and productivity. The Good: Female-founded companies captured a record 27.7% of total US venture deal value in 2025 which is nearly double the prior year (PitchBook). In Europe, over 1,300 female-founded startups raised €7.5B, up 19% year-on-year (Female Foundry Innovation Index 2026). Five new female-founded unicorns emerged in Europe alone. AI and deep tech are opening doors that didn't exist three years ago, and women are walking through them. The Bad: All-female founding teams still receive just 2.3% of global VC dollars. Women hold only 26% of AI-related jobs worldwide. Half of all women in tech leave the industry before age 35. And the average deal size for female-only founded companies is less than half that of male-only teams - $5.2M versus $11.7M (Founders Forum). The Ugly: Big Tech's retreat from DEI programs in 2025 sent a clear signal, and it wasn't a good one. Meta, Amazon, Google, and Accenture all scaled back diversity commitments. Research shows women are now prioritizing job security over career growth, with half saying they're more cautious about changing roles. At current rates of progress, the World Economic Forum estimates it will take 130 years to close the economic gender gap. These aren't social issues. They're economic ones. Every company that underinvests in female talent is leaving productivity, innovation, and profitability on the table. The data is unambiguous on this. What's the one structural change you think would move the needle fastest? #WomenInTech #TechEconomics #GenderGap #Innovation #InternationalWomensDay