Overview
- Bitkom’s representative survey of 603 firms reports no IT or digital departments with more women than men, with women in the minority at 89% of companies and near parity at just 9%.
- Hiring attitudes remain biased: 43% of companies say men are simply better suited for tech roles, and 48% believe such jobs deter women.
- Companies cite concrete hurdles to advancement, including re-entry after parental leave (50%), insufficient leadership awareness (48%), a glass ceiling (39%), and male pushback against promotion efforts (35%).
- McKinsey’s analysis finds women’s share in European tech roles fell from 22% to 19% over three years, as growth concentrates in AI, data and analytics positions and traditional entry-level routes shrink.
- Leaders acknowledge the stakes—78% say the economy squanders its future without women and 65% call women key to easing the IT talent crunch—yet many set no targets, often citing a lack of candidates (72%) or other priorities (57%).