High Job Satisfaction among U.S. Women in Technology despite Disparities: Study

A recent study undertaken by S&P Global Market Intelligence in collaboration with the California Technology Council and WE Global Studios revealed that job satisfaction is high among women in the United States working in technology. However, the study notes that work remains to improve gender diversity and root out unhealthy aspects of company culture. 

The study, ‘Women in Technology: Key Strategies to Retain and Attract Diverse Talent,’ examines strategic drivers of career satisfaction and dissatisfaction for women working in technology. It also helps companies identify strategies for creating more inclusive and productive cultures. The study is based on a fourth-quarter 2021 survey of 626 U.S.-based women working in technology-focused roles across various sectors. 

“The women we surveyed are optimistic about their future in tech. Interestingly, even women looking to change positions largely plan to continue working in the tech space, where we have seen increased gender diversity. But negative experiences, such as harassment and microaggressions, remain too common,” says Sarah Cottle, head of Research, Advisory, and Specialty Solutions at S&P Global Market Intelligence.  

According to Cottle, as Women’s History Month comes to an end, it is hoped that the results of this study will last beyond and shed light on the sentiment of women in the workplace to inform and inspire change in this dynamic industry in the future. 

Key highlights from the study are: 

• Overall job satisfaction is high among women in tech, with 53% of respondents claiming that they are delighted in their current positions, while 39% say they are somewhat happy. 
• A little over half of the respondents expect things to get better for women in their organizations next year. Younger women were more likely than those aged 45 or older to be optimistic about the changes on the horizon and to think that conditions for women had improved over the previous year. 
• Workplace flexibility should be at the top of the list for companies seeking to attract and retain a diverse tech workforce. More than 57% of the survey respondents identified flexible work hours and remote work as crucial drivers of job satisfaction. 
• More than 50% of respondents said that seeing women role models in senior leadership positions is essential for career satisfaction. 
• The survey respondents estimated, on average, that women hold about 39% of IT roles in their organization. That compares to the 27% average reported by respondents to 451 Research’s Voice of the Enterprise: Digital Pulse survey in the second quarter of 2019. 
• Despite the high levels of satisfaction among women in tech, there is still work to do to improve company culture. One in three respondents experienced sexual harassment at work. Many more women reported experiencing inequitable pay and advancement opportunities and exclusion from essential projects and social networks at work. 

A 2020 study by the AnitaB.org Institute found that women comprise 28.8% of the tech workforce in the United States. There has been a steady increase in the past few years – 25.9% in 2018 and 26.2% in 2019. The study analyzed data on more than half a million U.S. technologists at 51 participating companies. However, it could take more than ten more years for women to gain equal representation in tech at this pace. 

A McKinsey study titled “Women in the Workplace 2019” noted that gender disparity could emerge as early as the first promotion opportunity. Women account for 48% of entry-level hires but only 38% of first-level managers. 

Another McKinsey report found women of color only make up 4% of the computing workforce and almost no senior leadership roles despite making up 16% of the general population.