The UK government has unveiled a new Women in Tech Taskforce, an initiative designed to break down the systemic barriers that prevent women from entering, remaining in, and leading within the country’s fast-growing technology sector.
The taskforce was launched this week by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who says closing the gender gap in tech is not only long overdue but critical to the country’s economic future, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The taskforce held its first meeting on December 15 and brought together some of the most influential figures in British technology, education, and policy.
This announcement comes amid mounting evidence that gender inequality in tech is not just a social issue but an economic one. Research cited by the government suggests the economy is losing between £2 billion and £3.5 billion every year because women leave tech roles or move out of the sector altogether due to structural barriers, bias, and lack of progression opportunities. While the UK tech industry has seen its share of success, ultimately, it is failing to fully harness its available talent pool.
“Technology should work for everyone,” Kendall said at the launch. “When women are inspired to take on a role in tech and have a seat at the table, the sector can make better decisions, build products that serve everyone, and unlock the innovation and growth our economy needs.”
The cost of inequality
Despite years of initiatives and well-intentioned but unsuccessful efforts to improve diversity, progress has been slow, and women remain significantly underrepresented across the tech pipeline. Men outnumber women 4 to 1 in computer science degrees, and women are less likely to enter technical roles, stay in the sector long-term, or progress into leadership positions. According to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, women make up only around 22% of IT specialists in the UK.
As with most human problems, cultural perceptions and bias continue to be contributing factors. A 2023 study by the Fawcett Society found that 20% of men working in tech believed women were inherently less suited to technical roles. Access to funding is another major hurdle: female-founded startups receive nearly six times less investment than male-founded companies, despite evidence that they generate higher returns on investment.
At the current rate of progress, estimates suggest it could take more than 280 years for women to reach equal representation in the tech sector.
A high-profile taskforce with industry support
According to BBC News, the Women in Tech Taskforce brings together senior leaders from across the UK’s technology, education, and policy landscape. Kendall will co-lead the group alongside Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, founder of STEMETTES, who has been appointed Women in Tech Envoy. Imafidon is one of the UK’s most prominent advocates for diversity in science and technology and has spent more than a decade encouraging girls and young women to pursue STEM careers.
She has described the moment as necessary, as rapid advances in AI and automation reshape the economy. “This isn’t just about who builds technology,” she has said previously, “it’s about who gets to shape the decisions that define our future.”
Other founding members include Allison Kirkby, CEO of BT Group; Francesca Carlesi, CEO of Revolut UK; Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering; Sue Daley OBE, director of tech and innovation at techUK; and Kate Bell, assistant general secretary at the TUC. They are joined by representatives from grassroots and inclusion-focused organisations, including Coding Black Females and Code First Girls.
The group has been tasked with advising the government on how to remove barriers across education, training, recruitment, career progression, and access to capital, an approach ministers believe is essential for sustainable change.
Education, skills, and the AI imperative
A significant focus of the taskforce will be education, to strengthen the talent pipeline from an early age. The taskforce builds on existing government programmes such as the £187 million TechFirst skills programme, the Regional Tech Booster, the STEM Ambassadors Programme, and the National Centre for Computing Education’s “I Belong” initiative. The government has also committed to ensuring that all young people learn essential digital and AI skills under the new national curriculum, in the hope of challenging stereotypes about tech career paths early on.
This push also comes at a time when the UK has broader ambitions around AI and digital transformation. Industry leaders have warned that building trustworthy, high-quality AI systems will be impossible if the people designing them do not reflect society as a whole. As BCS chief executive Sharron Gunn has argued, it isn’t easy to build high-integrity, trustworthy AI systems if half the population is underrepresented among those designing them.
Transforming intent into impact
The launch of the Women in Tech Taskforce shows renewed political attention on an issue long acknowledged but insufficiently addressed. By linking diversity directly to economic growth, innovation, and global competitiveness, the government is hoping to inject fresh momentum into the debate.
The true test will be whether the taskforce can translate high-level commitment into measurable change, such as higher retention, more women in leadership roles, and improved access to funding. We will have to see how the industry evolves, but for now, the group’s creation is a significant step toward addressing the gender gap in tech.
Elsewhere, President Trump has unveiled the US Tech Force to accelerate AI adoption across government, partnering with top tech companies and federal agencies.
