ISACA survey: 47% of women in tech report gender discrimination at work
Representative image: OleksandrPidvalnyi / Pixabay
ISACA's 2026 Tech Workplace and Culture survey, released mid-October 2026, found 47% of women in tech report gender discrimination, up from 42% in 2024.
What Happened
Almost half of women working in technology, 47 per cent, say they have faced gender discrimination at work, up from 42 per cent in 2024, according to ISACA's 2026 Tech Workplace and Culture survey. ISACA, a global association of IT governance, audit and cybersecurity professionals, released the findings in mid-October 2026, and they were reported in India on October 17. The survey of 1,025 technology professionals worldwide also found gaps between women and men in authority, career progression and burnout.
Key Facts
- 47 per cent of women in tech said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, five percentage points higher than in 2024.
- The survey covered 1,025 people working in the technology sector worldwide.
- Only 53 per cent of women said they had enough authority to shape their company's strategy, against 66 per cent of men.
- 63 per cent of women said women are still underrepresented in the sector, compared with 41 per cent of men.
- Unclear career progression was the top barrier to advancement, named by 41 per cent of women and 33 per cent of men.
- About 59 per cent of technology professionals reported stress or burnout: 64 per cent of women and 57 per cent of men.
Why It Matters
Technology jobs are one of the main ladders into well-paid, white-collar work, in India and around the world. Coding, cloud, data and cybersecurity roles pay well, and they are growing as companies spend on artificial intelligence. Who climbs that ladder, and who falls off it, matters for the industry's talent supply as much as for fairness. A survey in which nearly half of women report discrimination, and the share is rising, points to a problem that is not shrinking on its own.
The other numbers explain why it matters for careers rather than only for workplace culture. The authority gap, 53 per cent of women against 66 per cent of men saying they can shape strategy, describes who gets to make decisions. The barrier most often named by both groups was unclear career progression, cited by 41 per cent of women and 33 per cent of men. That suggests many people, and more women than men, do not know what they need to do to be promoted. Burnout was common across the board but higher for women, at 64 per cent against 57 per cent for men.
There are limits to what the survey shows. It is a self-reported poll of 1,025 professionals worldwide, not a study of company records. An independent analysis of the findings noted that the survey shows patterns across respondents but does not prove cause and effect, and does not show whether the same women who faced discrimination are the ones who feel excluded from decisions. Country-level results for India were not given in the reports.
For readers starting or building a tech career, the practical reading is about choosing and shaping a workplace. Clear promotion criteria, managers who explain how decisions are made, and policies that address discrimination and workload are signs of an employer that is trying to keep its talent. The survey's numbers show that, for many women, these are still missing.
| Measure | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Have enough authority to shape strategy | 53% | 66% |
| Say women are underrepresented in tech | 63% | 41% |
| Unclear progression is top barrier | 41% | 33% |
| Report stress or burnout | 64% | 57% |
Impact
Short-term: The findings add pressure on technology employers, including India's IT services firms and global capability centres, to show how they handle discrimination complaints, promotions and workload, especially as AI changes roles and teams.
Long-term: If discrimination and unclear progression push women out of the field, the technology sector loses experienced people at a time when companies report shortages of skilled workers. Clear career paths and fair promotion could become part of how employers compete for talent.
Who is affected: Women working in or entering technology jobs, including engineers, IT auditors and cybersecurity professionals; their managers and human resources teams; and students weighing a technology career.
Key Takeaway
ISACA's 2026 survey found that 47 per cent of women in tech report gender discrimination at work, up five points since 2024, with women also reporting less authority and more burnout than men.
Questions and Answers
What did ISACA's 2026 Tech Workplace and Culture survey find about women in tech?
The survey, released in mid-October 2026, found that 47 per cent of women working in technology said they had experienced gender discrimination at work, up from 42 per cent in 2024. It also found that only 53 per cent of women felt they had enough authority to shape company strategy, compared with 66 per cent of men.
How many people took part in the survey?
The survey covered 1,025 people working in the technology sector worldwide. Results specific to India were not given in the reports on the survey.
What is the biggest barrier to career progress in tech, according to the survey?
Unclear career progression was the most commonly named barrier, cited by 41 per cent of women and 33 per cent of men.
Is burnout common among technology workers?
Yes. About 59 per cent of technology professionals in the survey reported stress or burnout, with women reporting it more often than men, at 64 per cent against 57 per cent.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
