American corporation, Skillsoft has published a report on women in technology. According to the report over 40 per cent of women in EMEA’s IT occupations are thinking about moving jobs in the upcoming year. However, more than a third of those who are thinking about changing jobs say they are doing so to pursue more equal employment prospects.

Skillsoft is an American company that offers e-learning solutions to businesses and organisations. The company serves close to 45 million students and 12,000 businesses throughout the world, many of which are Fortune 500 firms. Skillsoft has published a report on women seeking news positions in different jobs. According to Skillsoft, over 40 per cent of women in EMEA IT occupations are thinking about moving jobs in the upcoming year. However, more than a third of those who are thinking about changing jobs say they are doing so to pursue more equal employment prospects.

What women in IT Want

Orla Daly, Chief Information Officer of Skillsoft, stated that despite attempts by organisations to prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, "our data reveals that the gender gap is fairly substantial, and much work is needed to achieve genuine parity at all levels."

"Women in technology are requesting greater chances to progress their careers through leadership training, technical training, coaching, and mentoring. Organizations are currently in dire need of technology and leadership skills. This creates a chance for both parties to grow, which benefits organisations and gives women more authority to fill these important gaps and have a greater influence,” she continued.

The Findings In depth

274 of the 1,321 women surveyed by Skillsoft in EMEA were among the hurdles they experienced when pursuing a profession in technology. In response, 33 per cent of respondents claimed there were not enough equal possibilities for advancement.

38 per cent of women in IT professions in EMEA would be interested in a new position, often because they don't feel equal to their male colleagues when it comes to advancement and income chances, despite the fact that 43 per cent of them aren't eager to change companies.

A bigger percentage (19 per cent) said they weren't happy with their employers' diversity and inclusion (D&I) activities, however almost 30 per cent indicated they were considering a change employment due to a lack of professional growth and 10 per cent due to a lack of D&I.

Just over half of women who were interested in computing professions indicated that a barrier to entry was bad leadership and management, and 40 per cent said that a barrier was a lack of training and development opportunities.

A majority of Women Want to Continue with Present Employer

Yet, getting women interested in technology is only half the struggle. As a majority of women want to stay with their present workplace and more than half are satisfied with their benefits package and degree of job security, it is crucial for businesses looking to improve diversity in their IT teams to retain varied talent.

One of the most significant advantages for women in IT was the ability to work flexible hours, with 66 per cent of respondents rating it as extremely essential to their job. Remote and hybrid working were also highly regarded. Also, 56 per cent of respondents stated chances for professional growth and career training were very essential to them.

Yet, just 4 per cent of the women who responded to the study claimed to work in software development whereas 20 per cent of them claimed to work in HR or learning development. In the technology industry, males still outweigh women; according to a 2019 BCS analysis, the 249,000 women employed in UK technology made up 17 per cent of the region's IT professionals.

According to the survey results from Skillsoft, males outnumbered women in their organisation by a ratio of more than 4:1 for 35 per cent of the women who responded. Just 14 per cent of respondents indicated there were more women than males in their organisation, and 11 per cent stated there was a 50/50 gender balance.

The most often mentioned means by which women in tech feel organisations may improve the gender balance in the industry was ongoing professional growth and training, closely followed by providing benefits that are tailored to those with children.

Providing women in IT greater options for coaching and mentorship was also mentioned as a crucial step to entice more women into the industry.