In a 2021 global software developer survey, female developers accounted for only 5.31% of all respondents, demonstrating the male-dominated reality in software development today.
Research from PwC of over 2,000 A-Level and university students revealed that only 27% of female students said they would consider a career in technology, compared to 61% of males, and only 3% said it was their first choice. Additionally, 78% of students couldn’t name a famous female working in technology, which isn’t surprising given that women hold just 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector.
Despite the stark figures, work is underway to encourage women to join the profession. In recent years, a number of foundations have been launched that provide women and young girls with the opportunity to learn more about the field and receive guidance on how they can secure their first role. Some of the most well-known include Girls Who Code, Women Who Code, Code First Girls, Girls in Tech and Black Girls CODE.
In the UK, the government has pledged its commitment to several initiatives to help increase women’s access to careers in technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It includes an £84 million programme to improve the teaching of computing and drive female participation in computer science at GCSE and A-Level. The government also supports other programmes, including Gender Balance in Computing which identifies practical interventions that schools can implement to improve girls’ participation in computing, as well as working with education innovators to introduce T-Levels, a new, technical alternative to A-Levels.
Such work is having a positive effect, with a 31% increase in entries from women and girls to STEM A-Levels between 2010 and 2019. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2020, the number of women accepted into full-time STEM undergraduate courses increased by 50.1% in the UK.
Even if organisations manage to improve their gender balance, female software developers are less likely than their male counterparts to remain in their role or stay in the field long enough to progress to a more senior position. It indicates that work needs to be done for employers to improve the diversity of women in software development.
Here, we outline some key guidance from STEM Women about how employers can attract, retain and develop female software developers.
Recent graduates remain the core audience for tech attraction. Teaming up with local colleges and universities to provide internship or graduate job opportunities and attending dedicated STEM and coding events will go a long way in helping you grow a young talent pipeline.
From 2017, employers with a headcount of 250 or more must publish their gender pay gap information. However, smaller organisations are encouraged to voluntarily make this information public if they want to attract more women. By making your pay practices transparent in all candidate outreach, female development talent can be confident they are entering your business on equal pay to their male counterparts.
Diversity initiatives that include policies for women are proven to be hugely beneficial. These can include flexible working hours for those with care responsibilities, post-maternity support and dedicated breastfeeding breaks and areas for mothers returning to work. According to Women in Stem, such policies can be the deciding factor between women staying in a career or leaving.
An inclusive culture is one where everyone’s voices are heard, and they feel like valuable, contributing members of the team. The only way to ensure that your organisation is inclusive is by regularly polling all employees and acting upon any feedback that suggests improvements need to be made. Be transparent with your findings internally and outline what changes you will make to ensure everyone feels equal and included.
Research shows that male-orientated job descriptions can actively put women off from applying for tech roles. Using gender-neutral language in job descriptions can make a difference in the recruitment process. If you’re not sure whether your job descriptions are weighted towards men, run them through this free online tool or ask your recruitment partner to help you use more gender-neutral terms. If you’re having an issue with a lack of female applicants progressing to the interview stage, consider implementing blind hiring techniques, where you use software or rely on your talent partner to provide genderless CVs or conduct pre-employment tests that just measure skills.
If you’d like to discuss your recruitment needs and how you can improve gender diversity, get in touch with the
experts at Remit Resources today.