4 ways that we’re bucking the trends of women in STEM and some ways we could do better
Women make up 49% of the global workforce, but only 29% of the STEM workforce. This serious underrepresentation isn't just a numbers problem, but a missed opportunity. It represents lost insight, missed perspectives, and fewer voices shaping the technology we all rely on.
At The Developer Society, we’ve spent time reflecting on this and there are things we’re proud of. There are also places where we know we still have work to do.
This is where we are right now.
Over half of our team are women
55 percent of our team are women. In a historically male-dominated industry, we’re defying this trend. We’ve pushed for progressive hiring practices, questioned default assumptions about roles and experience, and kept diversity firmly in view rather than treating it as a side issue. It’s something we actively work at and consciously push against, not something we assume will maintain itself.
Women make up half of our production team
Across the UK, only around 12 percent of engineering roles are held by women. Within our production team, 50 percent of roles are filled by women. That difference matters. It shapes how problems are approached, how decisions are made, and how technical expertise is recognised and valued.
Our working practises are supportive of working mothers
We’re pro flexible working - but in a big way. We create space for school runs, parent events and we’re not thrown by children cameo-ing on a call here or there. We try to make it completely normalised that working parents (women and men!) have the space to balance work life and home life.
Being honest about health at work
Our sick leave policy explicitly recognises menstrual pain, menopause symptoms, and related conditions as valid reasons for taking time off.
This comes from a simple place. If we want people to do good work over the long term, we have to acknowledge reality rather than quietly work around it. Normalising this has helped create more open conversations about health, energy, and sustainability at work, for everyone.
Where we know we need to do better
Despite women making up 55 percent of our team, only 33 percent of our senior leadership are women.
That matters. Especially when wider data shows that 76 percent of women working in technology have experienced gender bias or discrimination in the workplace.
Intent alone is not enough here. This gap tells us there is more to examine, particularly around progression, visibility, and how leadership pathways are shaped and supported.
What we’re thinking about next
We do not have a finished answer to this yet. But some of the things we’re actively exploring include:
- how we better support women to step into visible leadership roles
- how progression pathways are communicated and sustained
- how we use our platform to amplify voices within The Developer Society and beyond it
- who we learn from externally, especially organisations focused on women in tech
This is ongoing work. We expect to learn, adjust, and keep improving.
Over to you
This is not meant as a scorecard. It’s a reflection on what we’ve learned so far, where things have been harder than expected, and what we’re still working through.
How does this compare with what you’re seeing in your own organisation? Where have you found progress, and where have you felt stuck?
These are conversations worth having.
