Get Informed

Learn about gender inequality in the tech sector and what you can do to help.

Key Facts

  • The New Zealand tech industry is a dynamic, growth industry to work in. It offers higher than average salaries, a variety of roles and great career opportunities.
  • The tech sector has an ongoing need for employees, yet women are in the minority, occupying only 23% of professional IT roles overall.
  • Less than 1 in 20 girls considers a high-paid career in science, technology, engineering or maths, compared to 1 in 5 boys.

Why this is important

Women are under represented in STEM careers in New Zealand. While New Zealand is doing better than some countries there is a need to do more for two reasons:

  • The number of tech roles is increasing so to keep the economy growing well we need to ensure women are interested in taking on tech roles.
  • According to international research, tech firms that have a gender balance have better financial performance.

The reasons for the current gender inequality in the tech sector are many, spanning issues such as:

  • social pressure on girls and women to pursue “suitable” careers
  • societal biases in higher education and the workplace
  • lack of support for women who wish to have a family or re-skill when returning to the workforce.

These are complex problems that we all need to work to understand and address.

What you can do

  • Get better at saying what’s brilliant about a career in digital technology.
  • Show the range of jobs that use tech, the opportunities tech provides, and the kinds of people who have tech careers.
  • Get involved with TechWomen activities.