How EdTech is Solving the Tech Gender Crisis

Closing the gender gap and taking pains to secure opportunities in tech for women isn’t just the right thing to do for women, it’s also the right thing to do for the industry, says Anna Brailsford of Code First Girls.

By Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls

Women currently make up just 21% of the tech industry, black women make up just 3%, and only 5% of leadership positions in the UK’s tech industry are held by women. These statistics are startling and, discouragingly, progress to tackle this tech gender crisis has been painfully slow, both in the UK and around the world.

The crisis is being matched by an ever-growing gap in tech skills. Today, there are already more tech roles being advertised than there are candidates, and the UK’s tech job market is projected to be worth £30bn by 2025 — six times larger than it is now. It’s estimated there will be 3 million jobs in the UK by 2025 in software, data and cyber, but UCAS data shows that by then there will only be 150k qualified graduates — and only 17% of these will be women. Big growth, of course, means big opportunities. But, unless serious effort is made, there won’t be enough candidates to fill the jobs needed. What’s more, there will only be one qualified woman for every 115 roles.

Why is the tech gender gap a crisis?

A primary concern is that women find themselves unable to access the opportunities the tech industry offers, which entrenches economic and professional inequality. Tech jobs have higher starting salaries than most other industries, and independent analysis suggests professions in tech offer more social mobility than professions like medicine and law.

But closing the gender gap and taking pains to secure opportunities in tech for women isn’t just the right thing to do for women, it’s also the right thing to do for the industry. Businesses around the world are increasingly recognising this fact.

The tech industry is critical for the UK’s economic competitiveness, national infrastructure, and security. To ensure the industry is as strong as it can be, we need to draw on the widest possible range of voices and insights. Less groupthink and more diversity of thought means tech can be more innovative and less predictable.

At Code First Girls, we believe EdTech has a fundamental role to play in solving the tech gender crisis and we’re on a mission to close the gender gap in the tech industry by improving employment prospects through free education.

Whether it’s the failure to spark interest in tech amongst girls at school age, the financial barriers to entry of later educational routes into tech, or the unique challenges facing female career switchers who often need more flexibility and autonomy, there are barriers at multiple points in the pipeline for women.

EdTech can help solve this specific supply and demand problem for the tech industry by providing free access to education and creating virtual learning environments which enable women to learn flexibly, regardless of location, caregiving responsibilities or other commitments. It can also help connect women with mentors and peers, providing direct access to a whole community of support and inspiration.

Through EdTech, we can address the skills and gender gap in tech head-on, ensuring this immensely influential industry is as strong as it can be by providing the skills, space, and inspiration across a diverse spectrum of gender, class, race and culture.

This article was originally published in the X Report — a monthly newsletter published by EdTechX which shares features based on current trends in the world of learning and training.