Every year, between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave tech roles in the UK. Read that again. Not women who never entered the industry - women who did, and then left. That's not just a diversity statistic. It's a leadership problem, an innovation problem, and increasingly, an economic one.
To understand what's really going on - and what needs to change - UC Today sat down with Emily Hall-Strutt, Director of Next Tech Girls, an organisation that connects girls and young women from underrepresented backgrounds to real careers in technology. What followed was one of the most honest conversations on this topic in years.
Women in Tech: Why the Pipeline Problem Starts Earlier Than You Think
Ask most people why there aren't more women in tech, and they'll point to a lack of interest. Emily Hall-Strutt has spent years speaking to young women, educators, and employers - and she's found that framing to be almost entirely wrong.
"I'm discovering it's less about a lack of interest and much more about a lack of understanding of what working in tech actually means... The types of roles that exist are shrouded in mystery. And then there are the stereotypes - tech being all about coding, tech being for boys - that really don't help."
The result is a generation of young women who could thrive in tech, but never make it to the starting line - not because they don't want to, but because no one ever showed them the door.
Gender Diversity in Technology: The Confidence and Access Gap
Here's what often gets missed in the women-in-tech conversation: inspiration, while important, isn't the biggest blocker. Emily is clear on this.
"The bigger gap isn't actually inspiration. It's confidence, it's opportunity, it's access."
And the timing couldn't be worse. Early careers opportunities in tech have shrunk significantly over the last two years - post-Covid contraction, market shifts, and the growing influence of AI on hiring have all contributed. The result? Young women who've done everything right - built the skills, gained the qualifications, developed the interest - are still struggling to get that first foot in the door.
"We're working with hundreds, even thousands, of young women who've decided they want to be in tech. But actually being able to get that entry-level role is becoming increasingly difficult."
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Role Models for Women in Tech: Why Proximity Matters More Than Fame
A striking statistic frames this challenge well: 78% of A-level and university students surveyed couldn't name a single famous woman in tech. If girls can't see women leading in the industry, how do they begin to imagine themselves there?
Emily's answer was nuanced. Visibility alone isn't the whole story - people find their way into roles they'd never imagined all the time. But relatable role models still play a hugely important part in helping young women see tech as a realistic and attainable option, particularly when those role models feel close to home. She explained that:
"You need to see people you can actually relate to. It's a lot easier to imagine yourself doing something when you can see someone like you doing it - especially if they're only a few years older than you. It feels attainable."
That's why Next Tech Girls deliberately platforms women who are interns, apprentices, or recent graduates - not just polished executives – as well as women from a wide range of ethnic, religious, socio-economic and educational backgrounds. The goal is simple: every girl who attends an event should see someone who looks, in some way, like her.
How to Retain Women in Tech: Culture, Sponsorship, and Fixing the Leaky Pipe
Getting women into the industry is only half the battle. Keeping them there - and helping them progress - is where many organisations are still falling short. Only 5% of tech leadership roles are held by women. That number hasn't shifted fast enough, and Emily has a clear view on why.
The Lovelace Report, published last year by We Are Tech Women and Oliver Wyman, identified the two biggest reasons women leave tech: lack of progression opportunities and lack of sponsorship. Emily sees this play out regularly.
"There's a lack of women in those senior roles who can actively sponsor other women coming up behind them,"
Sponsorship, she noted, tends to happen organically through existing networks and relationships - which means women, who are often outside those established circles, can find themselves at a structural disadvantage when it comes to accessing the advocacy that drives careers forward.
