Women in Tech Week is happening this week, with events taking place across the UK and online from 12th to 16th October. It’s a brilliant chance to celebrate women working in technology, hear different perspectives and meet others across the sector.
It’s also a good time for employers to think about how people get the chance to progress, not just how they get hired.
The Women in Work Glass Ceiling Tracker 2026 found that 80% of FTSE 100 and S&P 100 companies have never appointed a woman CEO. When a woman leaves a CEO role, another woman takes over just half the time. When a man leaves, 90% of successors are men.
There’s a recruitment angle here, too. The figures shared alongside the report say 65% of senior roles are filled externally. If external candidate pools are more male-heavy, the way employers define a role and search for talent can make a real difference to who gets considered.
What can employers do?
There’s no single fix, and change won’t happen overnight. But there are practical steps employers can take to make opportunities fairer and give more people the chance to progress.
1. Find out where people are getting stuck
Look at the whole journey: who applies, who reaches interview, who gets hired, who progresses and who leaves. If women are well represented at the start but less visible in senior roles, that’s a useful place to start asking questions.
Are promotion opportunities clear? Who gets access to high-profile work? Are people leaving because they can’t see a future with the organisation? The answers can help employers focus their efforts where they’re needed most.
2. Be open-minded about where you find talent
A strong candidate won’t always have the same job title or career history as the person who held the role before them. Be clear about the skills and experience the role genuinely needs, then consider where else you might find them.
In technology, that could mean looking at people from different sectors or those who’ve gained relevant experience through transformation programmes, commercial projects or other parts of the business. A broader search can help employers reach talent they may otherwise miss.
3. Give people experience that can take them further
If senior roles need experience leading teams, running business units or making commercial decisions, people need the chance to build that experience.
Look at who is getting stretch assignments, being asked to lead important work and invited into strategic conversations. These opportunities help people grow, and give employers a stronger group of potential leaders to draw on in the future.
4. Don’t wait for people to put themselves forward
A conversation can make a difference. Managers can ask people about their ambitions, talk through what a next step could look like and encourage them to apply when an opportunity comes up.
Sponsorship can help, too. That might mean recommending someone for a project, introducing them to influential colleagues or backing them for a role where they can build new experience.
5. Make senior careers workable
It’s worth looking at whether the expectations attached to senior roles make them harder to access or sustain for people with caring responsibilities.
Flexible working and supportive parental policies matter, but so does the culture around them. People need to feel that using the support available won’t count against their commitment or future prospects.
No one change will fix every barrier. But taking a closer look at recruitment, development and progression can help employers open up more opportunities and make better use of the talent they already have.
Join the Women in Tech Week conversation
There’s still time to take part in this week’s programme. Events are happening in person and online, with opportunities to hear from people across the sector, meet others and explore topics such as career development, skills, AI and sponsorship.
Explore the Women in Tech Week events calendar to see what’s coming up and find an event to join.
Here at Outsource UK, we know that finding the right people is only part of the picture. Employers also need to think about who gets access to opportunity and how they can support people to progress.
If you’re looking at your technology recruitment or want to talk about reaching a wider talent pool, get in touch with Mark Harris. He’d be happy to continue the conversation.
