Throughout the month of March, Finopotamus is celebrating Women’s History Month by featuring intriguing profiles and unique stories impacting the credit union and fintech industries.
By W.B. King
A recent report from WomenTech Network, Women in Tech Stats 2025—Uncovering Trends and Unseen Data, found women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields. In the U.S., women comprise 35% of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) employees.
When investigating major technology companies, the report found women are in the minority of the entire workforce: Amazon (45%), Facebook (37%), Apple (34%), Google (33%), and Microsoft (33.1%).
Regarding STEM fields, academic disciplines also shed light on the need for more women in the space. According to the National Science Foundation, women account for 21.3% of those who earned a bachelor's degree in computer and information sciences, 22% in engineering and engineering technology, 35% with an economics background, and 39% in physical sciences.
“The latest available data indicates some improvements, but disparities still exist. Although overall enrollment in STEM is slightly increasing, the participation of women and particularly women of color in certain fields like computer science remains disproportionately low,” the report noted. “For instance, Black students accounted for about 9% of those earning computer science degrees, while Hispanic students made up around 8% of master's degree recipients in this field. These figures indicate ongoing challenges in achieving representation in STEM fields, reflecting broader trends of underrepresentation in both education and the workforce.”
Gender Gaps and AI
While the report noted that women have made tremendous strides in the STEM workforce since the 1970s, there remains a gender gap.
“As workers progress up the corporate ladder, gender discrepancies in employment become more and more pronounced. Female representation in tech job applicant pools is highest for junior jobs. It drops for mid-level jobs and then drops again for senior-level jobs,” the report continued. “While software engineering jobs often have 25% fewer female applicants in their applicant pools between junior and mid-level (4 to 10 years of experience), ERP (enterprise resource planning), UI/UX (user interface/user experience) design, and cross-functional roles exhibit an even greater gender disparity with a drop at the senior level.”
When it comes to the artificial intelligence (AI) workforce, less than a third is comprised of women. A 2024 Skillsoft Women in Tech Report found that 60% of respondents were not yet using AI at work. Of the 40% who are, 73% have found they are more productive, and 19% find their work is more streamlined. A Boston Consulting Group study revealed that 68% of women in the tech industry use a GenAI tool more than once a week at work, compared with 66% of men.
According to the WomenTech Network report, AI is the number one topic women want to learn about, but 63% report a lack of skills and access to training on the job. Additionally, C-suite executives across all industries expect that, on average, 46% of workers will need to be reskilled in the next three years as a result.
Addressing Pay and Leadership Disparities
Among other topics covered in the report are pay and leadership gaps for women in technology. On average, men in STEM positions earn more than women—by about $15,00 per position.
“This disparity is even more pronounced among Latina and Black women. Latinas earn nearly half of what the average white, non-Hispanic man makes, requiring them to work nearly 23 months more than any other group to bridge this pay disparity. Unfortunately, this wage gap is even more pronounced for Latinx women who have a college education,” the report stated. “A study in the U.S. showed that there was a gender wage gap of 1.6%. It also demonstrated that while women were paid less than men when working remotely, they seemed pleased to settle for $0.95 for every dollar their male colleagues requested as wages.”
Noting that tech juggernauts like Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft have not had a female CEO, the report added that only 8% to 9% of women hold positions like CIO, CTO, or IT manager, or serve as technical team leaders.
“The numbers are shocking; for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women and 82 women of color get the same promotion,” the report said. “This leaves far fewer female candidates available for higher-level positions down the line, making it nearly impossible for them to ever catch up in terms of representation within these roles.”
Among parting advice from the WomenTech Network: “Surround yourself with women who would mention your name in a room full of opportunities.”