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Empower women

Facts

Check out all the numbers, data and facts in the Kaspersky Women in tech report for 2020-2021

As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, where do women stand in technology and IT? Kaspersky decided to build on the research it began in 2018, and in 2020 the company spoke to women in Europe, North America, Latin America and the APAC region to find out how they now feel and what has changed over the past two years. There’s plenty of good news: 57% of the women surveyed agree that gender equality has improved in their organization. Even COVID-19 has brought benefits, with working from home helping women feel more autonomous in their roles — boosting their confidence as well as their career prospects. But there’s still a lot to be done in the field to truly empower women.

56% of women working in IT globally

agree that there are now more women in IT and tech roles in their organization than two years ago.

Only 10 % of women

surveyed work in a majority female team, with 48% in a male-dominated environment and 39% in an evenly split workplace.

44 % of women in tech % agree that ‘men progress faster than women in my organization.’

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The ‘new normal’ of women in tech: a work-life [im]balance

48 % of women surveyed say they have found juggling work and family life stressful since March 2020.

6 in 10 women have taken on the responsibility for most of the household work and home schooling since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read all stories

Regions

  • Global

    50% of women in IT: ‘Gender will have no impact on my career’

    • 7in10 respondents

      believe their skills and experience are considered to be more important than their gender during the interview process for their first IT or tech role.

    • 46%

      of women surveyed agree that ‘gender equality is improved by teams working remotely’.

    • Just under 3 in 10 women surveyed have witnessed:

      • 29%

        double standards

      • 28%

        gender stereotyping

      • 28%

        assumptions that IT is not for women

      • 27%

        mansplaining, where a man feels it necessary to explain things to women that they already know in a bid to feel superior

    ‘Always surround yourself with opportunities for growth’

    Lavinia Rossi,
    Head of Global Enterprise Sales

    Read more
  • North America

    76% of women surveyed in North America, where there is staunch support for gender balance, say their first IT employer valued their skills above their gender

    • 5in10 women

      agree that they would be less than enthusiastic about joining a company with a gender imbalance.

    • 55%of women

      agree that ‘the number of women in senior IT/tech roles in my organization has increased in the last two years’.

    • Why do women in North America value work in IT?

      • 25%

        like the good salary

      • 19%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 17%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 14%

        appreciate the opportunity to build a career in a field where they can make a difference

  • Latin America

    Latin America is the world champion when it comes to improving gender equality in IT

    • 76%of women
      in Latin America:

      ‘I don’t believe it matters what gender you are in IT. If you are good at your job you will progress quickly.’

    • 65%of women

      surveyed — the highest figure of any region — said that the number of women in the industry in relation to men had improved significantly since 2018.

    • Why do women in Latin America value work in IT?

      • 24%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 19%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 15%

        like the good salary

      • 14%

        enjoy the excellent training

    Daniela Alvarez de Lugo

    General Manager,
    North of Latin America

    Andrea Fernández

    General Manager,
    South of Latin America

    Read more
  • Europe

    Europe has the highest number of majority male IT teams

    • Since 2018, there has been а 10%

      increase in the number of women in a tech or IT role in Europe who work in a male-dominated team.

      • 52%of women in the region work in majority male teams

      • 35%work in teams with an even split

      • 9%are part of majority female teams

    • Why do European women value work in IT?

      • 23%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 18%

        like the good salary

      • 17%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 13%

        enjoy the excellent training

    ‘Superwomen: in cybersecurity and in everyday life‘

    Alessandra Venneri, Head of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs for Italy at Kaspersky, has recently been featured as one of Europe’s top women in cybersecurity in the new #women4cyber book.

    Read more
  • Russia

    For women in Russian tech, the financial rewards are the main motivation for working and growing in the industry

    • 30% of our respondents

      chose IT out of an interest in engineering disciplines such as mathematics, informatics and physics.

    • 56%of the women

      we surveyed in Russia said they had chosen a job in IT because of the high salaries and bonuses.

    • Top 5 problems faced by every other woman working in the Russian IT industry:

      • Gender discrimination.

      • The misconception that women are badly suited for certain positions in IT.

      • Double standards.

      • “Mansplaining” (when a male condescendingly explains to a female peer something she already knows).

      • Disapproval of maternity leave; the opinion that women need less money because they have husbands, boyfriends, or sponsors.

    ‘Women are reclaiming their early influence in IT’

    Tatyana Shishkova is proof that a woman who sets her sights on a career in cybersecurity can make it to the top.

    Read more
  • The Asia-Pacific

    APAC is one of the most promising regions for women seeking a career in IT

    • 72%

      in this region say they were confident their opinion would be respected from day one regardless of their gender.

    • 62%of women in APAC

      have witnessed a growth in the number of women in their IT companies over the last two years.

    • Why do women in APAC value work in IT?

      • 21%

        like the good salary

      • 19%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 17%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 15%

        appreciate the opportunity to build a career in a field where they can make a difference

    ‘My work is never going to be a routine job’

    For Noushin Shabab, Security Researcher at Kaspersky, diversity means productivity

    Read more

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Our partners

Support our initiative and become a partner of the Empower Women project — we look forward to cooperating with you!

  • Ada's List is a global community and professional network striving to create a more inclusive and equal tech industry.

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  • CEFCYS - Cercle des Femmes de la CyberSécurité - promotes jobs, schoolings, trainings and initiatives of the cyber area with an aim to break the stereotypes around the industry.

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  • Women of Suricata is OISF’s initiative that offers a welcoming and inviting space for women (& other underrepresented groups) developers across the cyber and information security field to come and learn Suricata and to join our open-source community.

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  • Advisory is a fully youth-led pro bono nonprofit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices.

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