Gender and IT employment

There were 424,000 female IT specialists in the UK workforce during 2021 - 22% of the total at that time. As illustrated in the chart below, the level of female representation in IT has increased marginally over the past five years though by an increasing rate since 2019. That said, female representation remains well below the level observed within the workforce as a whole (48%).

Trends in workforce representation (2017-21)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS

If the level of representation for female workers in IT specialist positions was equal to that amongst the working age population as a whole during 2021, there would have been an additional 486,000 in IT roles in the UK.

Representation across the UK

Amongst the UK nations/regions, Northern Ireland was associated with the lowest level of female representation amongst IT specialists in 2021 and at that time, just 18% were women. By contrast, Scotland displayed the best ‘gender balance’, with women accounting for 32% of IT specialists.

Workforce gender representation by nation / region (2021)

Source: Analysis of ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey by BCS