Women in IT: what does 2019 hold for gender diversity?

To find out what the industry really thinks about the gender balance we surveyed 300 key decision makers and senior professionals in the UK’s IT industry. Most respondents (87%) agreed that there is a gender imbalance in favour of men in the industry and that it’s principally the responsibility of organisations (50%) to drive change.

Gender diversity has been at the forefront of discussions in the IT industry for quite some time. Last year saw many companies take positive steps towards promoting a more gender balanced workforce, so what developments might we expect to see in 2019?

More flexible workplaces

This year, we expect to see an increase in the number of companies offering flexible working in a bid to attract and retain female staff. Having flexibility over working hours and being able to work from home benefits both men and women as it provides the opportunity to share childcare. We’d expect to see more companies promoting the UK Government’s Shared Parental Leave and Pay initiative to demonstrate their commitment to workplace flexibility and gender diversity.

Transparency in salaries

The publishing of gender pay gap reports in 2018 helped raise awareness of the need for companies to be more transparent when it comes to setting salaries. This year, we expect to see more IT companies advertising specific pay grades in their job adverts. Statistically, women are less likely to negotiate their salary than men, so being transparent about pay will encourage more women to apply for positions and negotiate their salary.

Improved rates of pay

Although the gender pay gap in the IT industry is smaller compared to other sectors, a disparity still remains and we expect the gap to close even more in 2019. According to hired.com’s The State of Wage Inequality in the Workplace report, women in tech are offered a lower starting salary than  men for the same job. Typically, the gap is anywhere between 4% and 45%.

This year, we’d expect more tech companies to follow in the footsteps of KPMG and Hewlett Packard who are actively working towards closing the gender pay gap by committing to diversity initiatives.

Less gender bias in recruitment

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already making an impact in IT recruitment practices and we’d expect to see its use become more widespread this year. Psychometric testing tools like Teamwork Pro from Good&Co help remove the bias that often comes with CV shortlisting and face-to-face interviewing. The technology works by matching candidates based on personality data, creating a more objective process and removing any human bias.

Likewise, the use of augmented writing tools like Textio are being used more frequently to identify the most effective use of language for attracting specific candidates. In recruitment, these tools can be used to write more inclusive job adverts.

Socially responsible IT companies

With social responsibility becoming a benchmark by which IT companies measure themselves, we expect to see companies doing more to promote an inclusive public image.

Some of the biggest tech companies like Intel, Facebook and Apple have already committed to improving the position of women in IT and we expect more small and medium-sized companies to follow suit.

With the need for better female representation in the industry, this year, we’d expect to see companies doing more to promote women into executive positions and leadership roles.

Better access to external networks

We have already discussed the importance of external professional networks for women and we expect to see more of these recommendations implemented by IT companies in 2019. Networks provide women with the resources and information they need to get ahead in the industry. Typically, networking events in IT are male-dominated and with more female-led events, women will have the opportunity to discuss shared experiences and career goals.

There are several female-focused tech events planned for 2019 in the UK including the Women of Silicon Roundabout Conference and Diversity in Tech in London.

With 2019 underway, we expect the IT industry to benefit from a more diverse workforce. As more companies adopt flexible working, become more transparent in their salaries and improve their rates of pay, more women will be encouraged to apply for roles in the sector.

Artificial Intelligence is helping remove bias from IT recruitment and as companies become more socially responsible, diversity looks set to become even more of a core focus in the industry this year. With many female-focused conferences scheduled worldwide, 2019 looks set to be an important year for women in tech.