More and more women are now stepping into tech and playing a pivotal role in the growth of the U.S. technology sector. Women are redefining the tech industry—shaping workplaces, leading innovation, and inspiring future generations.
This trend is set to continue. By 2030, women are expected to occupy over 30% of core engineering roles in the U.S. Additionally, staff augmentation is projected to account for 45% of total IT hiring in the U.S. by 2027 (Gartner). Women could comprise more than 50% of augmented QA and PM roles by 2030 if current trends persist.
The Landscape: Women in U.S. Tech
Historically, the tech industry has been male dominated, but change is underway. Globally, women are projected to hold about 35% of all tech-related roles by 2025.
Image source: Statista, company reports (data as of June 2021)
Even in leading tech companies, female representation remains modest. The proportion of female staff ranges between 33.1% and 45% at companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon. In leadership roles, this figure drops to 26%–34%.
Since September 2021, three more women have become Fortune 500 CEOs, bringing the total to 44. However, this still represents just 8.8% of all Fortune 500 CEOs (TAG Ed Female Leadership Quarterly Report).
Beyond tech, gender disparities persist globally. Only 42% of working-age women are part of the global workforce—equating to one woman for every two men. Women often earn less and are more susceptible to gender-based discrimination.
Encouragingly, the percentage of women in the U.S. tech sector is improving annually.
Why This Growth Is Happening
While the U.S. tech industry remains predominantly male, more women are entering and thriving in a range of roles. Increasingly, there is broad recognition of the vital contributions women bring to the field.
Several key factors are fueling this shift:
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Breaking stereotypes – There is growing recognition that women can also be a critical part of the technology industry. This perception shift is encouraging many women to take up studies that give them an entry into the tech sector.
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DEI Initiatives – Many tech businesses are encouraging diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace to reverse the historical underrepresentation of women. As a result, women are now seeing a more welcoming workplace. Many businesses are hiring more women than before. At Amazon, for example, women represent 45% of the workforce.
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Educational outreach – Some initiatives encourage women and girls to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education so that they can have a career in the tech industry. One of its objectives is to achieve economic parity.
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Remote work opportunities – Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many tech companies have been promoting work from home. Remote work options have also increased in recent years. This has made it easier for women to balance their personal and work lives, which has made tech jobs more appealing. According to a LinkedIn Workforce Report, 53% of women say that flexible work opportunities have helped them enter the technology sector.
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Role models – Successful women in the technology industry inspire younger girls, making them believe they, too, can thrive in the sector.
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Improved problem solving – Studies have revealed that diversified teams are better at identifying and solving problems, which leads to better business outcomes. Businesses know this and are encouraging women to join.
Women in Staff Augmentation
Staff augmentation is a flexible outsourcing solution where businesses hire skilled professionals temporarily to work as part of the company’s internal team. Such hiring is usually done to address skill gaps, to support an ongoing job, and to meet a strict project deadline. Many businesses will also take this approach to address seasonal demand spikes.
Staff augmentation allows companies to scale up their workforce quickly, without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time employees. We interviewed Newwavedevs, a team working on IT staff augmentation. According to them, staff augmentation is a good way to fill skill gaps, improve capabilities, and manage temporary workload surges. It helps businesses acquire specialized talent.
Beyond full-time roles, many women are thriving in staff augmentation services, embracing flexible career models that match their expertise and goals. This mode of employment lets them decide when to work so that they can balance work and family. It also helps them add to the family income. Many women are also returning to tech after a break via remote contract roles.
Internal reports from Turing, Andela point out that in major U.S. staff augmentation firms, the share of female developers and QA specialists has grown from 12% to 21–24% over 5 years. According to Turing’s 2024 report, women hold 36% of QA and PM roles in large-scale U.S. augmentation projects.
Staff Augmentation as an Inclusion Accelerator
Staff augmentation can be a very good inclusion accelerator as it can provide access to a wider talent pool, fostering a more inclusive workplace culture. This is especially true for women. Staff augmentation allows companies to address potential hiring process biases. It helps them present employment opportunities for women.
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Reach out to underrepresented groups – This hiring model can be used to include women in sectors where they are underrepresented.
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Overcome geographical barriers – Businesses can tap into a global talent pool, letting them increase the number of women workers from various locations and diverse backgrounds.
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Diverse perspectives – The overall problem-solving and innovative skills will improve when people from different experiences and backgrounds are included in the team.
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Challenge existing biases – A diverse workforce will help identify and address unconscious biases in organizations and teams.
Staff augmentation is a good way to promote diversity and inclusion in businesses, especially for women. Tech companies are realizing this. According to LinkedIn Insights 2023, augmented teams have 25% more women in QA and Dev roles compared to in-house teams. With this approach, tech companies can build a more diverse and inclusive team and a more equitable workforce.
Why It Matters for Business
A more diverse workplace through staff augmentation is good for tech firms. A McKinsey report says, “gender-diverse tech teams are 15% more productive, and 35% more likely to deliver higher ROI”. According to the findings of Harvard Business Review, “Teams with 40%+ women show higher employee satisfaction and project quality”.
Augmented teams are more effective in problem-solving. They are agile and have better adaptability. It has also been seen that a diverse workforce delivers stronger communication with clients.
U.S. Census data tells us that there have been major advances in female inclusion in the STEM workforce. From just 8% in 1970, it has grown to an impressive 28% in 2023. However, the gender gap is still considerable. The good news is, we can certainly expect this gap to narrow in the future.
