Four-in-ten (40%) women in tech experience imposter syndrome and it’s forcing them out of the field, according to research from HR firm iCIMS.
Female job seekers say they are deterred from pursuing a career in tech due to a perceived lack of skills and experiences. This imposter syndrome threatens to cause issues for equality in the tech space, the study noted, particularly in the burgeoning field of AI where biases could be tackled early.
23% of women reported feeling unprepared for AI-driven changes in the workplace and are not sure how to adapt to the technology. This is compared with 17% of men who reported the same fears.
By contrast, 27% of men feel prepared and confident to adapt to AI compared with just 14% of women.
Women are less likely to report upskilling in AI over the past six months and 40% have no plan to upskill compared to 29% of men. Similarly, only 10% of women think AI literacy is a requirement to land a job in the current market compared with 18% of men.
There were some promising statistics, though. The report found that many women are still pursuing careers in the field, with applications from female candidates increasing by over a quarter (27%) year on year.
An uphill battle for female tech workers
Women are faced with increasingly difficult access to the tech industry. In late 2023, BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, suggested the gender gap in tech could take almost 300 years to close without intervention.
The issues apply at sector-specific levels, with women making up just 26% of positions in cybersecurity teams, according to 2023 figures.
Reports also show that the gender gap in tech is already spilling over problematically into AI, with female enrollment in AI courses taking place at half the rate of men and making up just 32% of enrollments despite a 227% surge in uptake generally.
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Progress is taking place, but it's happening very slowly. For example, while the number of women studying computer science degrees is steadily on the rise, 75% of computer science students are still men.
"There’s still a long way to go until we have the truly diverse tech profession we need to ensure emerging technology like AI benefits everyone. That also includes creating a more inclusive culture across the tech profession itself," BCS commented as part of an earlier piece of research.
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