One in four computing students is now female, new research shows - but gender gap remains wide across the UK tech pipeline

"The proportion of women studying computing degrees in the UK has risen to 25 per cent for the first time, according to new analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data by online lab-hosting platform Go Deploy. The study, which examined gender representation across five years of IT, engineering and technology degrees, highlights slow but steady progress in efforts to diversify the UK's tech talent pipeline."

"Yet the figures also underline how far the sector still has to go: men continue to dominate both education pathways and the workforce, with 70.4 per cent of Information and Communication roles currently held by male employees. ONS data shows that over 70% of jobs in Information and Communication are held by men - a ratio largely unchanged over the past five years. Go Deploy warns that without accelerating progress in early education, the industry risks perpetuating an entrenched talent divide."

Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data show that women made up 25.3% of computing students in 2023/24, up from 19.9% in 2019/20, with 48,415 women enrolled. Total student numbers increased over the period, and growth in female participation outpaced that of male students. Undergraduate representation rose as well: women now account for 19.8% of engineering and technology undergraduates (up from 18.2%) and 21.1% of computing undergraduates (up from 17.1%). Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures indicate the workforce remains male-dominated, with roughly 70% of Information and Communication roles held by men.

Read at Business Matters