Women in the technology field face wage inequality compared to male colleagues, according to a new survey by technology association ISACA.
Workplace gender bias and shortage of female role models are the other main barriers faced by women working in the technology field.
ALSO READ: ISACA report on women in technology
ISACA has released the Future Tech Workforce: Breaking Gender Barriers report which coincides with International Women’s Day this week.
Top 5 barriers experienced by women in tech
- Lack of mentors (48 percent)
- Lack of female role models in the field (42 percent)
- Gender bias in the workplace (39 percent)
- Unequal growth opportunities compared to men (36 percent)
- Unequal pay for the same skills (35 percent)
“Women are vastly underrepresented in the global technology workforce. This is not only a societal concern, but also a workforce problem, given the critical shortage of skilled technology professionals faced by many enterprises,” said Jo Stewart-Rattray, board director of ISACA and director of information security and IT assurance at BRM Holdich.
75 percent of respondents state their employer lacks a gender leadership development program. 8 out 10 women report their supervisors are male and 8 percent report never experiencing gender bias in the workplace.
The survey found that women specifically want mentors, role models and strong networking opportunities.
Limited networking opportunities and lack of a strong professional network are the other barriers for women in the ISACA survey.
Globally, pay disparity remains a challenge with 25 percent of respondents from Africa, 29 percent from Asia, 53 percent from Europe, 48 percent from Latin America, 60 percent from the Middle East, 42 percent from North America and 80 percent from Oceania reporting that male colleagues tend to be paid more, without a clear reason.
ISACA conducted the study via online polling among its female members worldwide. More than 500 individuals participated in the survey, which was fielded in November 2016.