Female developers in tech teams

The International #Women Day is about so many things because inequalities come in so many shapes. Let me talk about one of them: women in tech, because that's where I work and where I can act.   It starts early, this idea that women are not made for tech (which only leads to tech not being made for them). Only 16% of technical roles in France are held by women. That’s how little they are taking part in what shapes increasingly our daily lives. It's the result of many inequal treatments and representations that hinder them, all in essence deep social #inequalities.   Acting against these inequalities is possible. At Orange Business, 26% of technical roles are held by women. Better, but still not enough. We’re pushing, with real programs and real results, but the work is far from being done yet.   So what do we actually do ? We’re focusing our recruitment to bring more women into technical and management roles. We follow up on gender diversity metrics every quarter at the executive management level—we #track, we #measure, and we #act. Inclusive leadership isn’t just a buzzword for us, it’s how we build our teams. We also run mentorship and empowerment programs like “WomenUp,” and I’m proud to say that 60% of participants have grown into broader responsibilities after just one year.   And the numbers show it’s working. Women now hold 30% of manager positions at Orange Business, with steady progress (+2 pts vs. last year). Women in our top management positions are at 37%, up 2 pts as well. But we’re not stopping here. Our ambition for 2026 is to raise the bar and reach a rate of women managers matching the rate of women in our overall headcount—managerial parity that truly reflects our workforce.   Why do I care? Because I want my daughter—and every girl—to see tech as her playground, not a closed club. The photo I’m sharing today is her, coding on Minecraft. She’s not waiting for permission. She’s just doing it. That’s what I want for every girl: curiosity, #confidence, and zero limits. I really hope that she won't need an International Women Day when she enters the job market. And I really hope she does not get flowers that day just because she's a woman and people think that’s what nice, sensitive women want—and that it’s all it takes to celebrate equality 🙄 (raise your hand if you’ve been there! 😅)   So, thank you to everyone, men and women, at Orange and beyond, who’s making progress real. Not with speeches or flowers, but with action.   Now, I’m off to the office—but I can’t wait to pick up our Minecraft adventure again tonight.

💻 20 years in IT. That’s how long I’ve worked in this industry. In that time, I’ve built my career on technical knowledge, hard work, and a deep love for what I do. But despite that, I still walk into rooms where people assume I can’t be the technical SME. Not because of my experience. Not because of my skills. But because I’m a woman. Over the years, I’ve had to fight harder to prove myself than male colleagues with less experience. I always believed things would get better, that we’d evolve past those outdated assumptions. Sadly, even in 2025, I still encounter that same disrespect, and not just from men. Sometimes, it comes from other women too. Let’s not forget the women who helped shape this industry, Ada Lovelace, Margaret Hamilton, Dorothy Vaughan. They were pioneers, innovators, and leaders. Women have always belonged in tech. 👉 So here’s my ask: If you work in IT, assume the woman in the room knows her stuff. Assume she’s the SME. Assume she’s a badass. Because more often than not, she is. Let’s break the bias. Together. #WomenInTech #GenderBias #InclusionMatters #TechIndustry #STEM #BiasInTech

Every day, I speak with multiple businesses across Australia about getting more women into tech... but what about the ones who are leaving? Tech is an industry of innovation, problem-solving, and huge opportunity, yet we’re still losing women every year! From speaking to multiple women each and every week, here’s what I’m hearing; 👉 Many women are still hitting the glass ceiling. They see their peers being promoted over them, despite equal (or greater) experience and impact. Without visibility, sponsorship, and a clear path to leadership, many start questioning if the industry is worth it. 👉 Cultural issues, from microaggressions to being the only woman in the room, many feel unheard and undervalued. 👉 The pressure to overperform just to be seen, combined with outdated workplace policies, is pushing women out. Flexible work, parental leave, and psychological safety aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re essentials. 👉 Women don’t just need advice; they need decision-makers advocating for them in rooms they’re not in. Without that, climbing the ladder becomes exhausting. I’ve spent over 12 years working in tech recruitment, hosting panels with some of the most brilliant women in the industry, and running Sisterhood Club to create spaces where women can thrive in tech. I know this problem isn’t going away unless leaders step up. That’s exactly why I started: The Big Sister Mentorship Program – connecting women with senior leaders who advocate for them, not just advise them. Career Confidence Podcast – featuring real conversations on career growth, leadership, and what it really takes to succeed. Workshops & Sisterhood Socials – because women need spaces to upskill, connect, and support each other in an industry that still isn’t designed for them. We must acknowledge that Retention is just as important as attraction. Are you ensuring women have clear career growth opportunities? Are your workplace policies built for everyone? Are you actively advocating for and sponsoring women in your teams? Tech needs women. And not just at the entry level; we need them leading, innovating, and shaping the future. What else can be done to keep women in the tech industry? Let me know your thoughts

A serious women-in-tech conversation has to hold two things together: merit and the conditions that allow merit to be seen. I have been closely watching the UK women in tech conversation, especially since the Women in Tech Taskforce was launched. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) says women make up only 29% of the UK tech workforce, and the Taskforce is examining the barriers that prevent women from entering, progressing and leading in the sector. The progression point matters because retention cannot be solved by recruitment alone. The 2025 Lovelace Report from Oliver Wyman and WeAreTechWomen estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave UK tech and digital roles each year, costing the economy between £2 billion and £3.5 billion annually. In my opinion, organisations need to look at this with more honesty. The answer is not to lower standards. The answer is to make sure capable people are not leaving because the system does not give them fair access to visible work, sponsorship, recognition, flexibility, progression or leadership pathways. Competence still matters. It should matter. However, competence also needs the right environment to grow. I have seen what happens when experienced people leave. The business loses judgment, delivery memory, mentoring capacity, client understanding and the informal knowledge that helps teams make better decisions. For organisations, this means looking at practical questions: - Define promotion criteria clearly, so both men and women know what leadership readiness looks like. - Track who gets stretch assignments, high-visibility projects and client-facing opportunities. - Ensure sponsorship is not informal or dependent only on who is already close to senior leaders. - Review retention data by level, not only by recruitment numbers. - Create leadership pathways that are fair and transparent for both men and women. - Make flexibility workable without quietly penalising those who use it. For women, the positioning question is just as important: - Keep evidence of outcomes, not just responsibilities. - Speak up in meetings with clear business points, not only updates. - Ask for stretch assignments before waiting to be noticed. - Build relationships with sponsors, not just mentors. - Link your work to commercial, operational or customer outcomes. - Share lessons, results and insights publicly where appropriate. - Make your leadership ambition visible in the right rooms. If the UK wants more women to lead in tech, the work has to sit on both sides. Organisations must build fairer conditions for progression, and women must continue to position their competence with clarity, confidence and evidence. In my opinion, that is how retention becomes stronger, merit becomes easier to recognise, and leadership pipelines become healthier for everyone.

There still aren’t enough women in tech. And no, it’s not because we “opt out.” I’ve gone back and forth on whether to write this, because women who talk about their experiences in tech are often labeled as dramatic, difficult, or making it about gender. But silence hasn’t fixed it, so here we are. I’ve loved technology since I was young. I’ve consistently outperformed, stayed late, learned more, shipped more, and cared deeply about the work. And yet, alongside that, I’ve also experienced things in my career that have nothing to do with my skill: - Being inappropriately harassed at work - Being treated as a “distraction” instead of a contributor - Being told I’m not as capable as I think I am or that my brain is less capable because I am female - Being called a DEI hire instead of an engineer - Being asked if a parent “got me the job” - Being talked over, doubted, or underestimated, even with results to back me up None of that made me better at my job. None of that helped the team. And none of that is a rite of passage we should be normalizing. Here’s the part that matters most: This is why women leave tech. Not because they can’t do the work but because they get tired of having to prove they belong over and over again. If we want more women in tech, the call to action isn’t “encourage girls to code harder.” It’s: - Take women seriously the first time - Believe competence doesn’t have a gender - Call out inappropriate behavior when you see it - Stop assuming confidence equals arrogance when it comes from a woman - Make space where women don’t have to armor up just to do their jobs There are so many brilliant, driven, creative women who would thrive in this field if the environment didn’t quietly push them out. I’m still here because I love the work. But I want it to be better for the women coming after me so they get to focus on building, learning, and leading… not surviving. If you’re in tech, you’re part of shaping that future. Let’s do better than we did before. #WomenInTech #WomenWhoBuild #TechCulture #EngineeringLeadership #InclusiveTech #DiversityInTech #EquityInTech #RepresentationMatters #BuildBetterTeams #TechCareers #WomenInEngineering #LeadershipInTech #FutureOfWork #ChangeTheCulture

If you're losing brilliant women at the final stages of hiring - this might be why... Let me talk you through a recent example where a company had a disproportionately high number of women dropping out at late interview and offer stage for their tech roles: They were offering great salaries. Flexible working. A decent benefits package. So what was going wrong? We took a look at the data. Out of 2 billion data points, a few things stood out: → Diversity is non-negotiable. Women in tech rank it 31% higher than the average candidate. If they don’t see representation in leadership, they won’t apply → Flexible hybrid work wins, because structure matters. Demand for remote-only roles is 11% below average, while core hours and in-office collaboration rank higher → Family-friendly policies trump flashy perks. Fertility leave (+41%), job sharing (+33%), and parental leave (+19%) are the real differentiators But then we dug deeper; and that's where it got really interesting: → Women in data roles showed a higher demand for in-office work - mentorship and access to resources mattered → Women in engineering & development wanted mission-driven work and career progression above all else → Women in product roles prioritised culture and flexibility more than any other group The company checked their employer brand. Their careers page talked about “great culture” and “exciting opportunities.” But it said nothing about what actually mattered to the people they were trying to hire. They weren’t losing candidates because of the salary or the benefits. They were losing them because they don't know what their target talent groups actually want. The companies getting this right aren’t guessing. They’re using data to shape their employer brand - so they attract the right people, with the right message. Download our women in tech report to access more of these insights: https://lnkd.in/enYcGpeW And tell me if you've turned down a job offer for similar reasons? #WomenInTech #Hiring #EmployerBranding #FutureOfWork #DiversityMatters

My experience after 27 years in business and tech is this: Women were underrepresented in almost every setting. The only woman plant director Only 2 women on the IT LT No women engineering VPs In 2026, women hold approximately 26–28% of global tech roles, with representation dropping to 20–22% in technical positions like engineering and data science. While 30% of board seats at top tech firms are held by women, they constitute only 15% of engineering leadership and 5% of CEO roles. Sometimes it means proving yourself twice. Sometimes it means being talked over. Sometimes it means fixing the system that someone else broke and then explaining it again in the next meeting. But a generation of women showed up anyway. They built the systems, ran the projects, solved the problems despite feeling undervalued. Thanks to Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Katherine Johnson, Hedy Lamarr, Radia Perlman and many others whose shoulders we stand on. Women have helped reshape what “tech” looks like. And along the way, great men stood beside them as mentors, sponsors, teammates, and leaders who believed in them and helped open doors that once felt closed. But we're not there yet. International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate achievements of women, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to forge gender parity. Happy International Women’s Day. 💜 #IWD2026 #GiveToGain #WomeninTech

The majority of our tech team are men. Fewer women pursue technical fields because of a variety of reasons, including the dreaded imposter syndrome. This is why representation matters. It’s about showing that “someone like me” can do it too. 🎞️ I wanted to share this #insidegrab video of Pei Shan Yap. She shares about how she didn’t trust herself to have all the answers when asked to take on bigger portfolios. Well, she’s recently taken on the role of Acting Head of Cybersecurity and I hope her story inspires other women to set aside their insecurities (pun unintended!) and go after the roles they want! Honestly, I'm proud of how Grab is changing. Today, #someonelikeme can be a leader, a technologist, a driver – and we're a better company for it. ✅ Half of our country heads are women. This isn't a quota; it's a reflection of the incredible leadership they bring. ✅ We're making a conscious effort to hire more women in tech. While the talent pool is smaller, we’ve implemented a process to seek out and hire more women in our tech teams. ✅ Our year-old Women’s Drivers Programme is showing promising signs of better supporting women. Our ‘Women Passengers Preferred’ feature – built from driver feedback – has been used by 1 in 2 women driver-partners at least once. #InternationalWomensDay is not a single day of recognition for women. To me, it’s a time to reflect: are we taking consistent action to create an environment where equal opportunity is the norm, every day. I invite ideas on how we can drive more inclusion together! You can also follow InsideGrab on Instagram <https://lnkd.in/g-Z3n-pb> for more videos on Grabbers and the projects we work on.

In recent years, the role of women in technology has been a hot topic, and for good reason. As we continue to push for more representation, it's worth taking a step back to see how far we've come and where there's room for improvement. Let's look at some statistics: - Women represent 24% of all tech jobs, up from 21% just five years ago 📈. - 15.9% of women hold leadership positions in IT, a small but significant increase 👩💼. - Companies with more women in tech roles see a 35% higher return on equity. - In life sciences, women make up 47% of the workforce but only 24% of leadership roles. - For AI research roles, women hold just 18% of the positions. - The software industry has 22% female professionals. - Only 14% of hardware positions are held by women. - Women constitute 28% of the workforce in SAAS companies. While these numbers show progress, there's still a long way to go to achieve true gender parity in the tech and IT sectors. Here are some key areas that need attention: - Mentorship Programs: Providing guidance to women through mentorship can bridge gaps and foster career growth. - Balanced Hiring Practices: Ensure job descriptions and recruitment processes are free of biases and appeal to a wide range of candidates. - Work-Life Balance: Flexible work options and parental leave policies can significantly impact retention rates for women in tech. These steps not only help in improving gender representation but also drive innovation and productivity. #WomenInTech #EqualityInTech #HiringWomen

As a woman involved in the tech sector, I understand firsthand the challenges we face in an industry that has often overlooked our contributions. However, I am proud to be part of a movement that not only champions diversity but recognizes its critical role in driving digital innovation and enhancing customer experiences.   Recent findings in our Lovelace Report reveal that the UK tech sector is losing a staggering £2-3.5 billion annually by not fully leveraging diversity. As global gender inequality continues to shift, we need varied perspectives and adaptive thinking more than ever. Yet, broken career frameworks and inequitable pay continue to drive talented women out of tech, depriving the industry of their invaluable insights.   Through dynamic discussions with senior women in tech across the UK and Ireland, alongside insights from over 500 professionals, Oliver Wyman and WeAreTechWomen have explored how we can adapt the tech industry to meet these pressing challenges. Here are some key takeaways: - Diverse teams outperform in volatile markets. - Inclusive leadership fosters innovation. - Women bring essential problem-solving skills. - Current career structures often fail to nurture this talent.   Creating environments where women thrive is not just the right thing to do; it builds a competitive advantage for all of us.  Read more from the report here >> https://owy.mn/44M6SHz What’s your take on this? #WomenInTech #OliverWyman