80% of Men in Tech Believe There Is Gender Equality

Women in Tech Speak Out: The Truth About Gender Parity in the Industry

In the realm of technology, a significant divide exists between perception and reality when it comes to gender equality. A notable survey found that a staggering 80% of men in the tech sector believe that women are treated equally. However, this perspective starkly contrasts with the longstanding data and personal accounts from women within the industry.

For innovators like Hannah Samano, the founder of the Femtech company Unfabled, the tech world's supposed inclusivity is more myth than reality. She emphasizes the existence of unseen barriers that maintain inequality, she told Euronews; “There are invisible structural challenges that currently prevent equality. If you were a man and had never faced these, you probably wouldn’t know they existed.”

The survey, conducted by Nigel Frank International, a recruitment agency within the Tenth Revolution Group, included over 1,300 male participants from cloud computing sectors associated with major platforms like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Surprisingly, only 6% of these men disagreed with the notion of gender parity, while 14% remained neutral.

James Lloyd-Townshend, CEO of Nigel Frank International, underscores the importance of active engagement and allyship from men within the tech industry to address these disparities. “It’s common for those who don’t experience inequality to ignore or deny its prevalence. What we need is more engagement, observation, listening – and ultimately allyship, from men in tech,” he explained.

A recent survey by Web Summit revealed an uptick in reported gender inequality and sexism experienced by women in tech from one year to the next, over 50% of the 500 women who took part revealed they had experienced sexism in the workplace.

It reveals a critical gap in awareness and action within the tech industry, suggesting that while some men may be unaware or indifferent to the challenges faced by their female counterparts, there's a growing call for those in the industry to become champions of change, fighting for equality and inclusivity.v