BCS Gender Diversity in the Tech Sector Report 2026

Forewords

Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, Government Women in Tech Envoy Chair, Women in Tech Taskforce

Technology has changed almost beyond recognition over the past fifty years, evolving from a specialist industry into something that underpins our economy, our public services and almost every aspect of our daily lives, yet alongside that transformation, some of the questions around who enters the technology profession, who is able to build a successful career, who progresses into leadership and whose perspectives shape the future of the sector remain remarkably familiar. 
 
That is why the findings of this report are so important, providing a valuable evidence base through which we can understand both the progress that has been made and the barriers that continue to prevent women from reaching their full potential within technology, while helping us to move beyond assumptions and anecdotes towards a clearer understanding of where change is happening, where gaps remain and where further action is needed. 
 
As Government's Women in Tech Envoy and Chair of the Women in Tech Taskforce, I see the importance of this evidence in helping us understand not only how many women are entering the technology profession, but what happens once they get there, whether they are able to build fulfilling and sustainable careers, whether they have genuine opportunities to progress, whether they can see people like themselves represented in positions of influence and leadership, and whether they feel that technology is a profession in which they can belong and succeed. 
 
Representation is an important starting point, but it cannot be the end goal, because lasting progress depends on the culture within organisations and across the wider profession, including the everyday behaviours, expectations and decisions that determine whose voice is heard, who is given opportunities, whose contribution is recognised and who feels able to put themselves forward and fulfil their potential. 
 
We can improve recruitment practices, establish targets and create programmes designed to support women, but if the underlying culture of organisations does not change, progress will remain fragile, and that is why culture change cannot be delegated to a policy document or treated as the responsibility of a diversity team alone, but must instead be embedded in the way organisations are led, how decisions are made and how people experience their working lives. 
 
This requires leadership that is prepared to look honestly at the evidence, understand where existing approaches may not be working and take responsibility for creating environments in which talented people from different backgrounds are able to contribute, progress and lead, while recognising that building a more inclusive technology profession is not simply about improving outcomes for women, but about ensuring that the technology shaping our society benefits from the widest possible range of talent, experience and perspective. 
 
This report will help to inform that work by providing the evidence, insight and challenge needed to move the conversation forward, so that we can focus not only on measuring where we are today, but on understanding what needs to change and, importantly, what each of us can do to help make that change happen. 
 
The ambition should be to build a technology profession in which diversity is not an aspiration that requires constant explanation, but a natural part of how the sector operates, with people able to succeed because of their talent and potential rather than being held back by assumptions about who belongs, and I know that this report will make a meaningful contribution towards achieving that ambition. 
 

Jo Stansfield, Chair, BCS Women 

As BCS Women, BCS’s specialist group championing women in tech, turns 25, it is both gratifying to see the progress that has been made, yet sobering to see how far we still have to travel. 

Set up by Professor Sue Black OBE in 2001, BCS Women has created a powerful community that supports, inspires, and elevates women across the tech industry. We are proud of our impact and determined to build on this remarkable legacy. 

Back in 2001, there was no Gender Diversity in the Tech Sector report, making the full extent of change over the past 25 years difficult to quantify. But when BCS first released its Women in IT Scorecard in 2014, the picture was stark: but the number of women entering IT was in decline.  

Although the proportion of women in specialist IT roles has risen incrementally over the years, as shown in the report the percentage is unchanged this year and there is still a huge amount of work ahead of us. 

As we look ahead to the next 25 years, we must be deliberate about the legacy we want to leave. As AI becomes ever more embedded in our daily lives, work, and opportunities, the need for diverse voices to shape its development has never been greater. If technology is to serve the needs of society, the people who create it must reflect society’s rich diversity. BCS Women’s ambition for the next 25 years is for every girl and woman to have the opportunity to build a fulfilling career in technology and to help shape our shared future, in which the technology we all rely on is both trusted and trustworthy – for everyone.