Tech's Missing Middle: Women Navigating the AI Skills Gap in 2025

This is your Women in Business podcast. Welcome to Women in Business. Today we're diving into how women are navigating the tech industry's economic landscape in 2025, and honestly, the conversation has never been more urgent. Let's start with where we stand right now. Women make up just over a quarter of the tech workforce globally, sitting at around 27 percent according to the latest CompTIA data. Even more striking, only 17 percent of tech companies have a woman serving as CEO, and just 14 percent of global tech leaders are women. This isn't just a numbers game, it's about representation, influence, and economic power in one of the world's most lucrative sectors. Our first discussion point centers on the missing middle phenomenon. For many women in tech, career momentum doesn't stall because of lack of ambition or skill. It stalls mid-career when workplace structures fail to support the realities of caregiving and the need for flexible work arrangements. Research shows that half of all women who work in tech have left the industry by age 35. Think about that. We're losing experienced, talented professionals right when they should be moving into leadership positions. Second, let's talk about the AI skills gap and what it means for women's economic futures. The Skillsoft Women in Tech Report reveals that 60 percent of women aren't yet using AI in their work, while three-quarters of companies plan to increase AI use by 2028. This creates an urgent imperative. Women who gain AI skills now position themselves for higher earnings and leadership opportunities, especially since the median tech wage stands at over 104,000 dollars annually, more than double the typical earnings across all industries. Our third point examines the systemic pay and promotion barriers. Despite some progress with women being promoted at slightly higher rates than men, 15.9 percent versus 13.6 percent, companies still offer men higher salaries than women for 62 percent of tech jobs. Female CEOs at tech startups earned 20,000 dollars less than their male counterparts last year. This wage gap compounds over careers, affecting retirement savings, investment capacity, and generational wealth. Fourth, we need to discuss the pipeline problem that starts in education. The proportion of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded to women has dropped dramatically from 37 percent in 1985 to just 20 percent today. Without addressing this educational disparity, we're fighting an uphill battle before women even enter the workforce. Finally, let's explore the economic opportunity cost. McKinsey and Company estimates that closing the gender gap in tech could add 12 trillion dollars to global GDP. That's not just good for women, that's transformative for the entire global economy. When women surveyed about timeline expectations, 34 percent believe gender diversity will take six to ten years to achieve, while 25 percent think it could take 11 to 24 years. We cannot afford to wait th This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.