A new study of women working in technology careers has revealed that a lack of opportunities for advancement (43 per cent) is the biggest challenge they face today. In addition, more than 51 per cent of female leaders agreed that having more women on their teams would be beneficial. The global study was commissioned by Pluralsight, the global leader in online learning for technology professionals, in conjunction with Women Who Code, a global non-profit dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers.
The survey, which polled more than 500 women working in technology fields in the UK, indicated that many feel they would benefit from more female role models (40 per cent). Responses also showed that women in tech careers are running into a number of obstacles in climbing the corporate ladder, which may be impacting their salary and long-term career trajectory.
When asked what issues they felt were holding them back in their career, 1 in 5 (22 per cent) women ranked a lack of confidence as their biggest concern, followed by male-dominated work environments (20 per cent). In addition, more than 50 per cent felt uncomfortable asking for a raise and nearly 43 per cent felt uncomfortable asking for a promotion.
In addition to highlighting challenges women face once they enter technology careers, the study also looked at what needs to be done to get women into technology fields in the first place. 77 per cent of women surveyed listed flexible work hours as important to them with 27 per cent saying that flexible work hours was the most important factor when considering a career in tech.
“It’s imperative that the industry as a whole become a more welcoming and inclusive place for women who have been drastically underrepresented to date. Providing women with every available opportunity and resource to succeed is crucial – both for their wellbeing, and for the stability of the economy,” said Alaina Percival, CEO of Women Who Code.
“We commissioned this study to help shed light on what obstacles women working in technical roles are currently facing in the workplace,” said Aaron Skonnard, CEO of Pluralsight. “Having more women in tech has been shown to create better business results. It’s our job as an industry to create an environment in which women have access to female role models, mentors and more opportunities for advancement.”
Additional key findings from the report include:
- 50 per cent of all respondents agree that balancing their career and personal life is challenging.
- Only 8 per cent of respondents said a startup was the "ideal organization" for them, but nearly 50 per cent indicated that working in a mid-sized organization would be ideal.
To see the results of the full global report visit: http://bit.ly/1WraHcH
