The government aims to break down gender barriers to create a more equal workforce by welcoming, keeping and advancing more female staff.
Spearheaded by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, female leaders from digital and technology firms will be invited to advise policymakers on measures to encourage more women to ‘enter, stay and lead’ the industry.
According to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, women make up just 22% of the specialised IT workforce. The organisation also warned Black women were particularly marginalised – accounting for only 0.6% of skilled workers in the sector.
Women also earn 12% less per hour than male counterparts. In order to level the playing field, around 530,000 more women need to be brought into technology jobs.
The 2025 Lovelace Report outlined the economic cost of this diversity failure. In 2024 alone, between 40,000 and 60,000 women left tech roles, amounting to a loss of between £2 billion and £3.5 billion during the 12 months.
‘When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make more representative decisions, build products that serve everyone,’ said Kendall.
‘We cannot create high-trust, high-integrity AI systems if the profession behind them is missing out on the talents and perspective of half the population,’ added BCS Chief Executive, Sharron Gunn.
The taskforce has 15 founding members. These include Allison Kirkby, head of BT Group, Revolut’s Chief Executive, Francesca Carlesi, and the Chief Execyurive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Dr Hayaatun Sillem. TUC Assistant General Secretary, Kate Bell, Uber Director of Public Policy, Emma O’Dwyer, and Sue Daley, of techUK, are also counted in their numbers.
Image: Christina @ wocintechchat.com / Unsplash
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