‘System Update: Addressing the Gender Gap in Tech’ report

New research out today from Fawcett, in partnership with Virgin Media O2, reveals a widespread toxic ‘tech bro’ culture that is pushing women out of the tech sector. System Update: Addressing the Gender Gap in Tech  is the culmination of eight months of extensive research, interviews and polling. The report explores the views and experience of women and men who work in tech roles, those who have recently left, and women who have qualifications but are not currently working in the sector.

Key findings include:

• 1 in 5 men working in tech roles believe that women are naturally less suited to working in the sector.
• 43% of women in the tech sector think about leaving their role at least once a week.
• More than a quarter of women with STEM qualifications outside of the sector believe there is more sexist behaviour in tech than other types of work.
• 72% of women in tech roles have experienced at least one form of sexism at work. This includes being paid less than male colleagues and sexist ‘banter’ (22%) and questioning of their skills and abilities (20%).
• Black and minoritised women have experienced additional levels of exclusion, with almost three in four having experienced racism at work.
• 1 in 3 Black women have been assumed by colleagues to not hold a technical role

The report was launched in London on 31 October 2023 with an introduction from Fawcett CEO Jemima Olchawski, followed by a presentation of the key report findings and recommendations from Senior Policy and Research Officer Lizzie Ville. This was followed by a panel discussion and in-depth Q&A with the below speakers:

Chair: Nisha Marwaha, Director Virgin Media O2
Nisha has been Director of People Relations and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion since June 2021. Nisha is part of the People and Transformation Leadership team and is responsible for employee relations, people policy, case resolution and the DE&I strategy. Prior to this, Nisha was Legal Director for Employment and Pensions for Virgin Media and Chair of the Empower network, Virgin Media’s network for minoritised ethnic employees,

Lopa Patel MBE, Digital CEO, Non-Executive Chair, NED & Trustee
Lopa is the founder of two ventures in online media and a data-driven marketing consultancy, she is also the Chair of equality and inclusion charity, Diversity UK; Chair of the National Science & Media Museum (NSMM) Advisory Board; a Trustee of the Science Museum Group (SMG) and a Non-Executive of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

Lopa is an elected Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and a Fellow of the Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM). She is an ambassador for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology and has been recognised with many accolades including an MBE for services to the creative industries in 2009; the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2015; an Honorary Doctorate by the Open University in 2017, in recognition of her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in STEM and more recently, she was named TechWomen100 2021 Champion of the Year and listed in computer Weekly’s ‘Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2022’ index

Vanessa Chiedza Sanyauke, Founder of The Hill app, CEO of Girls Talk Corporation
Vanessa is the Founder of The Hill app, an AI powered platform that enables global businesses to hire female talent whilst saving on costs and time. The aim is to connect 1 million women from 140 countries to jobs and opportunities. She is also the Founder & CEO of Girls Talk Corporation connecting 56,000 women across 37 countries to global businesses such as events, programmes and digital content.

Companies she has worked with include Apple, Amazon, Beats by Dre, Meta, HSBC UK, Goldman Sachs, Snap Inc, Virgin Media O2, Zalando, BT and Vodafone and many more to connect them with diverse talent across all levels within their businesses.

Her expertise sits in creating and executing global diversity, inclusion and sustainability strategies and programmes, building capability & influence in organisations and partnering with & advising C-suite executives, senior leadership and HR colleagues. Vanessa is also a Business Podcaster with her podcast, The After Work Drinks Club debuting at Number 4 on the Apple Business Charts.

Vanessa has been recognised as one of 30 people changing the world by the London Business School, one of London’s most influential people by the Evening Standard Newspaper and has featured in The Guardian, Cosmopolitan magazine, Sunday Times Style magazine, Stylist magazine, The Evening Standard newspaper and the Financial Times.

Yasmin Lodhi, Chief Operating Officer at Stemettes
Yasmin has a passion for promoting diversity and equity with education, she is currently serving as COO at Stemettes. An award winning organisation dedicated to inspiring and supporting girls, young women and non-binary people in STEM and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) careers.

Her role has allowed her to shape and execute initiatives that foster intentional inclusivity in STEAM fields. Her commitment to innovation and excellence has been a driving force behind Stemettes’ success. The organisation has achieved remarkable milestones over the last 10 years, impacting the lives of over 60,000 young people. Yasmin’s career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to diversity, education and the advancement of balance within STEM. Her vision and leadership continue to inspire and pave the way for future generations of STEM leaders.

Susanne Sos, Research participant sharing her lived experience working within the tech industry.
Susanne is a Marketing Manager and Creative Director with nine years of experience in the tech and retail industry and has delivered successful campaigns and projects across diverse mediums for both B2B and B2C companies. Her work has been recognised with features in prestigious publications such as British Vogue, Campaign Magazine, The Drum and more. Susanne is now spearheading the launch of ‘Positions of Power (POP)’ a dynamic organisation committed to empowering underrepresented individuals, with a particular focus on Black women, within the media and marketing industry. The mission is to create a ripple effect of empowerment and open doors for future generations of creatives.

Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society said:
“This report rings alarm bells for a sector that prides itself on being future-facing. It’s unacceptable that so many women are being locked out of tech because damaging and plain wrong sexist ideas are thriving in a predominantly male workforce. It’s really no surprise that 4 in 10 women consider leaving their role when toxic ‘tech bro’ cultures are so widespread, and women are diminished by male colleagues. And, yet again, our research shows things are even worse for Black and minoritised women who experience the compounded effects of sexism and racism. It makes no sense that in the midst of a skills shortage so many capable and talented women are either locked out of the sector or choosing to leave. All of this means tech firms are missing out on a wealth of talent and both women and our economy are being held back. We need urgent action to bring in a system update and create workplaces that truly respect and accommodate women in all our diversity.”

Nisha Marwaha, Director of People Relations and DE&I at Virgin Media O2 said:
“The findings in this report are clear: the ‘tech bro’ culture is causing long-term damage and creating an environment where women wrongly don’t feel they belong. With a fifth of men harbouring an ill-conceived belief that women aren’t up to the job, we must do better as businesses at creating an inclusive and diverse environment that shatters these stereotypes. Otherwise, at a time when the tech sector is hit with skill shortages, we’ll miss out on a wealth of top talent. At Virgin Media O2, we know that diversity if the key to a brighter, more innovative, and prosperous future for us all. That’s why we’ve proudly partnered with the Fawcett Society to champion the cause of gender diversity in tech and are committed to reviewing every recommendation in detail to accelerate change. ”

CALLS FOR CHANGE

To make the tech industry a more inclusive place for women, Fawcett and Virgin Media O2 are calling on businesses, government and schools to work together to achieve change by:

Reducing bias at application: Ensuring job advertisements promote all reasonable flexible work options by default; banning salary history questions; using gender-neutral language; and setting targets to improve the representation of women and underrepresented groups.

Countering stereotypes and broadening access to tech: Expanding and supporting programmes teaching tech skills to people of all ages; offering returner programmes; countering gender stereotypes in school curricula; and providing greater funding for tech expertise in education.

Normalising and expanding flexible and part-time work and parental leave: Establishing clear, fair and transparent processes for flexible work requests; reforming parental leave systems to support both parents; and encouraging men to take paternity leave.

Promoting an inclusive social culture: Developing anti-racism and misogyny action plans; creating transparent reporting mechanisms for grievances and harassment, including monitoring which complaints are upheld; conducting exit interviews; and providing support for employees affected by workplace discrimination.

Providing equitable training, pay and progression: Ensuring pay transparency and promotion criteria clarity; documenting salary grades and conducting pay and bonuses audits to address disparities; and calling on the Government to mandate publishing both gender and ethnicity pay gap data.

Click here to read ‘System Update: Addressing the Gender Gap in Tech’