Women report lower satisfaction with workplace culture, job security and career progression than men, while 64% experience work-related stress or burnout, new research reveals.
Almost half of women working in technology say they have experienced gender discrimination in the workplace, with the proportion rising over the past two years despite continued efforts to improve diversity and inclusion across the sector. New research from the global technology governance and cybersecurity association ISACA finds 47% of women in tech have experienced gender discrimination, up five percentage points from 42% in 2024.
The 2026 Tech Workplace and Culture survey also reveals sizeable gender gaps in how employees experience workplace culture, security, progression and influence. Only 52% of women are satisfied with their workplace culture, compared with 65% of men. Women also report lower satisfaction with job security, at 59% versus 69% for men, and career progression, at 67% versus 73%. Meanwhile, almost two-thirds, 64% of women, report work-related stress or burnout, compared with 57% of men.
The findings suggest that attracting more women into technology will not be enough to close the gender gap unless organisations also address the conditions affecting whether they can stay, progress and influence decisions once they get there.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION IS RISING
The finding that 47% of women have experienced workplace gender discrimination represents a five-point increase from ISACA’s 2024 research. It also reinforces concerns already highlighted in Fair Play Talks coverage. Earlier research found women in technology continue to face tougher scrutiny than male colleagues, with 94% of women surveyed believing they were held to a higher standard and 61% saying they had lost a promotion or job opportunity because of their gender.
Separate research also found racial and gender discrimination among technology professionals was rising, with discrimination linked to lower career satisfaction, greater burnout and concerns about fair compensation. The latest ISACA findings suggest those problems have not disappeared.
WOMEN REMAIN LESS SATISFIED WITH WORKPLACE CULTURE
Women consistently report poorer workplace experiences than their male colleagues. According to ISACA:
- 52% of women are satisfied with workplace culture, compared with 65% of men;
- 59% are satisfied with job security, compared with 69% of men; and
- 67% are satisfied with career progression, compared with 73% of men.
The differences matter because workplace culture and progression are closely connected to whether women remain in the industry.
Fair Play Talks reported last year that the UK’s failure to retain women in technology could be costing the economy as much as £3.5 billion annually. That research found as many as 60,000 women leave UK tech each year, with lack of advancement, recognition and equitable pay among the principal reasons.
The issue is therefore not solely about representation. It is about whether the systems women enter actually allow them to build sustainable careers.
WOMEN STILL SEE TECH AS UNDERREPRESENTED
Nearly two-thirds of women, 63%, believe the technology sector remains underrepresented by gender. Only 41% of men agree. The gap illustrates how differently the same workplace can be experienced depending on who is looking at it.
Women are also less likely to feel they have sufficient influence over company direction. Only 53% of women say they have enough authority to contribute to organisational strategy and direction, compared with 66% of men.
That suggests representation cannot simply be measured by whether women are present. Organisations also need to consider whether women have voice, authority and access to consequential decisions.
CAREER PROGRESSION REMAINS A MAJOR BARRIER
Unclear career progression is the most commonly cited barrier to advancement overall, identified by 34% of respondents. Among women, however, that rises to 41%. This is not a new concern.
Fair Play Talks has previously highlighted calls for greater transparency around career progression as essential to improving gender balance in STEM. WISE research found that visible and accessible progression pathways were particularly important for retaining women and enabling them to move into senior positions.
More recent research paints an equally challenging picture. The 2025 Lovelace Report found 75% of women in tech with 11 to 20 years’ experience had waited more than three years for promotion, while 90% wanted to lead but only 25% believed they would get the opportunity. Together, the evidence suggests the problem is not a lack of ambition. It is whether organisations provide sufficiently transparent and equitable routes for that ambition to translate into advancement.
BURNOUT IS HIGHER AMONG WOMEN
Workplace pressure is another persistent concern. Some 64% of women report work-related stress or burnout, compared with 57% of men. Across respondents generally, the biggest contributors to stress or burnout are:
- heavy workload – 48%;
- lack of resources – 43%;
- unsupportive management – 42%; and
- lack of appreciation – 40%.
Yet employer support remains limited. Only 25% of respondents say their employer provides mental-health days, while another 23% either do not know whether support exists or say no support is offered.
Again, the gender difference echoes older research. Fair Play Talks previously reported particularly high burnout among women working in technology, highlighting the impact of leadership and workplace culture on women’s experience.
More broadly, previous research found women technologists at mid-career level experienced some of the highest burnout rates, alongside discrimination linked to gender, race, disability and sexual orientation.
TECH EMPLOYERS ARE STRUGGLING TO RETAIN TALENT
The problem extends beyond women. Three-quarters, 75%, of respondents say retaining technology talent is a significant or moderate issue for their organisation. Among professionals who changed jobs during the previous two years, the leading reasons were:
- better career prospects – 29%;
- higher pay – 28%;
- more interesting work – 23%;
- better organisational culture – 23%; and
- better work-life balance – 23%.
The findings reinforce the connection between talent retention and the overall quality of working life. Pay matters. But so do advancement, meaningful work, culture and the ability to maintain a sustainable career.
“Attracting and retaining tech talent requires employers to look beyond compensation and create an environment where people can build sustainable, rewarding careers,” said Julia Kanouse, ISACA Chief Membership Officer and Head of the ISACA Foundation. “That means taking meaningful steps to address burnout, providing clear pathways for growth, preserving the flexibility professionals value and ensuring every employee has an equitable opportunity to contribute and advance.”
THE PIPELINE ALONE WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
Much of the debate about gender representation in technology has traditionally focused on encouraging more girls and women into STEM education and careers. That remains important. But the ISACA findings suggest recruitment alone will not solve the problem if women enter technology and then encounter discrimination, unclear advancement routes, burnout or limited influence.
Fair Play Talks has previously reported that women leave technology careers at significantly higher rates than men, with workplace culture identified as one of the central reasons. That earlier research found only 21% of women believed it was easy for women to thrive in technology, falling to just 8% among women of colour, despite much greater optimism among senior HR leaders.
The lesson is increasingly consistent. It is not enough to get women through the door. Employers also need to create conditions that enable them to stay and progress.
MENTORS AND ROLE MODELS STILL MATTER
Despite the challenges, respondents remain optimistic about women’s future participation in technology. Some 71% of all employees expect more women to enter the sector over the next five years. Respondents were also clear about what could help.
Some:
- 65% say educational institutions should provide more female mentors and role models;
- 48% support women’s technology clubs or organisations providing networking opportunities; and
- 40% believe educational institutions should employ more women as technology professors.
“Programmes and initiatives that support women in technology are essential because they turn awareness of persistent barriers into meaningful action,” said Anna Murray, Founder, President and Lead Consultant at emedia and a member of the ISACA SheLeadsTech Advisory Group. “By providing mentorship, professional development, strong networks and visible role models, these efforts help women enter the field, advance with confidence and have a greater voice in shaping the future of technology.”
The emphasis on mentorship is particularly important because access to informal networks and sponsorship can influence who receives opportunities, visibility and support.
MENTORSHIP IS NOT ENOUGH WITHOUT SYSTEMIC CHANGE
Mentoring can help women navigate organisations. But it cannot compensate for biased systems. Women should not need to become better at navigating inequity in order to progress. Employers also need to examine:
- how promotions are decided;
- who receives stretch assignments;
- who gets visibility with senior leaders;
- whether pay is equitable;
- how performance is evaluated;
- whose ideas are heard;
- who receives sponsorship rather than simply mentoring; and
- whether career criteria are transparent.
The distinction between mentorship and sponsorship matters. Mentors provide advice. Sponsors actively advocate for someone’s advancement and put their credibility behind that person’s career. For women seeking greater influence and progression, both can be valuable – but structural barriers still need to be removed.
PAY INEQUALITY REMAINS PART OF THE PROBLEM
Although the release does not provide a specific gender pay-gap percentage, ISACA reports that women remain more concerned about pay inequality than men. That aligns with previous technology-sector research. Fair Play Talks reported that more than half of experienced women in UK technology were being paid below the average for their seniority level.
Earlier research also found women in tech continued to identify equal pay and clearer career advancement as important factors in whether they remained in or joined organisations. Pay transparency, promotion transparency and career transparency are therefore closely connected.
INTERSECTIONAL BARRIERS ALSO MATTER
Gender averages can hide very different experiences between women. Race, disability, age, sexuality, caregiving responsibilities and socioeconomic background can all affect opportunity.
Earlier research found more than nine in 10 women technologists surveyed had experienced some form of discrimination in educational or workplace settings, with particularly high rates among women from underrepresented ethnic groups, disabled women and LGBTQIA+ women.
Similarly, women returning to STEM careers after a break have reported higher levels of recruitment bias than men. Employers looking at gender inclusion therefore need to examine outcomes within different groups of women rather than relying only on an overall representation figure.
WHAT TECH EMPLOYERS SHOULD DO
The ISACA findings suggest employers need to look beyond recruitment targets and examine women’s experience throughout the career lifecycle. Organisations should:
- track gender discrimination and take complaints seriously;
- examine promotion, pay and performance outcomes by gender;
- create transparent career pathways and promotion criteria;
- ensure women have access to strategic and high-visibility work;
- strengthen sponsorship as well as mentoring;
- give women genuine influence over company direction and decision-making;
- review workload and resourcing where burnout is high;
- train and hold managers accountable for inclusive leadership;
- provide meaningful mental-health and wellbeing support;
- protect flexibility without allowing flexible workers to become less visible for advancement;
- examine retention and exit data by gender and career level; and
- analyse outcomes intersectionally rather than treating women as a single group.
The goal should not simply be achieving greater representation at entry level. It should be ensuring women have an equitable opportunity to stay, progress and lead.
WOMEN IN TECH REMAIN OPTIMISTIC, BUT EMPLOYERS NEED TO DELIVER
There are encouraging signs in the ISACA findings. More than seven in 10 respondents expect the number of women in technology to increase over the next five years. There is strong support for mentorship, networking and visible female role models. And technology professionals generally remain positive about their careers. But that optimism sits alongside stubborn structural problems.
Almost half of women report gender discrimination. Women are less satisfied with workplace culture, job security and career progression. They are less likely than men to feel they have enough authority to influence company strategy. And almost two-thirds report workplace stress or burnout.
The technology industry therefore faces two connected challenges – bringing more women into the sector, and building workplaces that give them compelling reasons to remain. As previous research has repeatedly shown, the gender gap in technology is not simply a pipeline problem. It is also a progression, culture, pay and retention problem.
Download the full ISACA Tech Workplace and Culture Survey here.
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