We recently conducted a case study of middle management tech roles across the top companies by market cap in Canada, the US, and the UK.
The findings indicated that there are fewer women than men in middle management and that the average length of tenure for women was less than for men. Keep reading to learn more about the findings of our latest study!
Gender and middle management tech roles
Gender inequality in tech is an ongoing problem and a critical subject of discussion in our sector. The World Economic Forum recently published a set of four recommended pathways for getting women into tech leadership roles, noting that gender equality “remains an unfulfilled promise”.
Additionally, a recent study of the gender balance of Chief Information Officers at FTSE 100 companies by our sister organization and Tenth Revolution Group company, Frank Recruitment Group, revealed that in 2022, women made up just 27% of CIOs and that their average tenure at that level was a full year shorter than their male counterparts.
To follow up on this study on women in tech in leadership roles, we conducted a case study of middle management tech roles across the top companies by market cap in Canada, the US, and the UK. Looking specifically at senior and lead roles for architects, developers, and engineers, our findings indicated that there are fewer women than men in middle management. Additionally, we found that women who were in these roles had a shorter average length of tenure than their male counterparts.
Key findings
Findings from our case study research not only indicate that women occupy fewer middle-management roles than men, but also that – on average – the length of tenure for women is almost one-third less than for men. Our research also found that:
Women occupying middle-management roles in the US, Canada, and UK
13%
Average length of tenure in middle-managment roles for women
2.5 years
Senior-level tenure difference between men and women
1.4 years
Percentage of women amongst tech professionals with more than a decade of tenure in their role
22%
Our findings, in full, are as follows:
- Across Canada, the US, and the UK, women occupy just 13% of middle management tech roles. In Canada, women make up 17%, and in both the US and the UK the figure is 11%.
- The average tenure for men in middle management tech roles is 3.7 years, compared to 2.5 years for women.
- At the senior level, the tenure gap is 1.4 years. At lead-level, the gap is 1 year.
- Women make up just 22% of tech professionals who have a tenure of more than a decade in their role.
Our Chairman and CEO, James Lloyd-Townshend, commented on the data in our research and highlighted the need to get more women into senior and lead roles, especially in the context of a growing skills gap in tech.
Read his full thoughts below:
“Gender inequality’s still a hot topic in tech, and for good reason – progress has remained too slow across the board. This new data on middle management in particular offers us further insight into the conversation about leadership. If we aren’t supporting women into senior and lead roles, it prohibits their chances of reaching the board level. The shorter average tenure that women currently in those roles have compared to men is also quite significant. At best it means women have generally started in those positions more recently, but it could also indicate that women are leaving their posts which is real cause for concern.
In the context of the tech skills gap, gender inequality is an even more pressing issue. And this study really bolsters the idea that we need to be thinking about pathways – how we can empower women to pursue tech at every level, so that there are women at entry level who can progress into middle management roles, and so that there are women in middle management who can progress to the executive level. Access and support are important at every level.”
Research methodology
This study surveys architects, developers, and engineers in senior and lead roles at the top ten companies by market cap in Canada, the US, and the UK. Data on market cap was accessed via companiesmarketcap.com. LinkedIn was used to identify company profiles and current employees in the relevant roles. Up to five entries were included per company. Gender was determined according to the pronouns used on the individual’s own profile. All data is accurate as of 27th February, 2022.
Want to read more about Revolent’s commitment to improving diversity and making tech careers more accessible? Learn more here.
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