The majority (87 percent) of IT professionals agree that there is a lack of gender diversity in the sector, yet less than half (41 percent) of businesses have programs in place to hire more women, according to new research from ISACA, the leading global professional association helping individuals advance their careers in digital trust fields.

Only 41% of businesses have programs in place to hire more women in tech, according to ISACA research.

This is despite the fact that ISACA’s Tech Workplace and Culture report, which surveyed 7,726 tech professionals around the globe, found that 74 percent of businesses also say that attracting and retaining talent is a challenge.

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When looking at why women are still underrepresented in tech roles, 43 percent of female respondents (and 21 percent of men) say it is because most IT role models and leaders are male. The next biggest culprit was pay inequality, according to 42 percent of women—but only 15 percent of men—who responded.

Overall, men tend to rate their sense of authority in specific areas of their current role more highly, whereas women tend to give lower ratings. The gap between men and women’s perceptions of authority are the largest for making purchasing decisions (13 percentage point gap) and contributing to the company strategy and direction (10 percentage point gap).

“More needs to be done to increase the representation of women in the IT and technology sector—and more needs to be done to welcome their leadership and influence,” says Julia Kanouse, who serves as Chief Membership Officer at ISACA and oversees the association’s SheLeadsTech program. “This will not only help to address the global skills gap and boost productivity in the sector—it will also create a more inclusive and diverse working environment.”

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Survey respondents indicate they believe that educational institutions can do more to drive gender inclusion, including:

• Providing mentors or role models (52 percent)
• Establishing tech clubs and/or organizations for networking for women (42 percent)
• Hiring more female tech professors (31 percent)

68 percent of women and 72 percent of men indicate they are extremely or very satisfied with their career progression. Additionally, 73 percent of women and 71 percent of men say they have received a salary increase and/or promotion in the last two years.

Sarah Orton, UK and Europe lead for ISACA’s SheLeadsTech initiative, said: “Having a workforce of people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to bring to the table is not only the right thing to do—it’s also a business benefit that makes an organization’s work that much more effective. Progress has been made—but the sector has more work to do, and ISACA is supporting this important work.”