57 per cent of people working in the UK tech industry think gender roles have been set back significantly because of the pandemic, according to a survey by accelerateHER.

More than a third of those surveyed said that they think women’s roles have regressed 10-20 years, because they have to shoulder the burden of home-schooling, work, and an increase in household tasks.

Women in tech have reported that their career paths have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus crisis, with 54 per cent of respondents claiming the pandemic has made it harder to break into the industry.

This compares to 32 per cent who believed COVID has made it harder for men to break into the sector.

“IWD is a moment in the year to highlight the state of the world for women. This year, it’s never felt more important, as Covid-19 threatens to reverse the important gains that have been made for women’s equality,” said Laura Stebbling, co- chief executive, accelerateHER. “For too long it’s been down to women to change the system, but men are more likely to be in positions of power to drive change.

She added: “Men can do this by sponsoring a junior woman, bringing her to key meetings, advocating, providing opportunities to do things that will help her get ahead.”

Share Story: