Closing the Gender Gap in Technology

A message from our CEO

This year has presented significant challenges for the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) sector, with budget cuts leading to the closure of impactful organisations like the Tech Talent Charter, Women Who Code, and Girls in Tech in the US. Despite these setbacks, InnovateHer remains resolute in our mission to create a more inclusive future in tech.

In October, we launched our first-ever trend report, where we asked 1,200 students to share their perspectives on tech and career aspirations. Their responses revealed promising levels of interest in tech, with 78% of girls expressing enthusiasm – but worryingly, only 39% view it as a career path. The report highlighted how barriers like gender stereotypes and lack of representation continue to push girls out of the tech pipeline, impacting their long-term career choices. Meanwhile, boys as young as 12 reported considering financial responsibilities when choosing careers, underscoring how early career expectations are shaped by societal norms.

With the election of a new Labour government in the UK, we are optimistic about aligning our efforts with anticipated educational and technological reforms that we hope will reinforce our mission to make tech an inclusive field for all.

Yet, we know our work is far from over, and we cannot achieve lasting change alone.

We need your continued partnership and support to dismantle these barriers and inspire the next generation of tech innovators. Together, we can forge a future where everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive.

Thank you for standing with us in the journey towards a more inclusive world.

– Chelsea Slater, CEO and Co-Founder

Meet Lola!

We interviewed Lola as part of our Cyber Security course feedback. Students had high opinions of the course gaining valuable insights into malware and online safety. Her experience inspired her to explore technology further, connecting her love for architecture with innovative design.

Lola, a brilliant Year 7 student!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name’s Lola and I’m in Year 7. My favourite subject is maths because I like working with numbers and things like algebra and stuff like that. I play video games quite often, and I play football. I like Guardians of the galaxy volume 3, [because] I like how it goes into depth about one of the characters and their backstories and how it’s very detailed and emotional.

Tell us about what careers you are thinking of and what inspires you.

I’d like to either go into architecture or football. [I’m inspired by] people who have already pursued the career [football or architecture] and how they have succeeded at it and how good they are at it.

Before you worked with InnovateHer, did you already know about Cyber Security?

I knew a little bit. I knew about things like malware but I didn’t really know how things worked. I’ve heard of a Trojan horse, but I didn’t know what it was.

What did you think of the course?

My favourite part of it was watching the videos, how it explains in depth how all the different malwares work and how you can protect your cyber security in your own personal situation.

How do you now feel about Cyber Security?

I’m very excited about it because knowing that there’s quite a lot of jobs to go into in the future with that kind of subject is quite motivating.

Has it made you think differently about taking a STEM GCSE?

Definitely, I was going to take IT or computer science anyway, but this has made me want to do it even more.

Has it changed your mind on your future career path?

It’s made me think about going into more of the techie side of things, like with architecture maybe, like designing in that sense, like IT and things like that.

Thank you InnovateHer and BAE systems for this opportunity.