Following up on previous research into companies on the UK’s FTSE 100 index, Tenth Revolution Group has produced a dataset that speaks to the picture of gender inequality in the top organisations operating in the United States.
The new research collates data on CIOs and CTOs at NASDAQ-100 companies and spans the period of 2021-2024. The results pinpoint the present state of gender inequality at the biggest companies, while also tracking how the landscape has (or hasn’t) shifted over the last four years as a whole.
Among their finds were:
- In 2024, just 14 per cent of tech leaders at NASDAQ-100 companies are women
- Over the course of 2021-2024, the average tenure of women CIOs and CTOs is less than half that of their male counterparts, 1.5 years compared to 4.3 years for men
- There is currently no upward trend toward gender parity amongst tech leaders at the biggest businesses in the US market. Women made up only 14 per cent of tech leaders in 2021 and that percentage is no different in 2024
- Of the companies included in this survey, not one had a visible non-binary tech leader at board level
Tenth Revolution Group Chairman and CEO James Lloyd-Townshend commented: “There’s been so much good work in terms of research and advocacy around gender inequality in tech over the past decade, but this new data on the balance at leadership level amongst some of the biggest and most influential companies is really very stark. Women making up only 14 per cent of tech leaders in 2024 just isn’t right.”
Addressing the question of tenure, Tenth Revolution Group President Zoë Morris added: “We know we need to get more women into tech, but we also need to create the conditions to support women to stay in tech and become our next generation of leaders. More than ever, we need to ensure progression pathways are clear and that both hiring and promotional decisions are taken equitably.
“The shorter average tenure for women is also a problem,” Morris continued. “It indicates that the few women who are in these posts are newer to them, but it could also be telling us that women are burning out and leaving their posts. Our research into wellbeing last year revealed that in 2023 some 46 per cent of women in tech had experienced burnout. High rates of burnout and shorter average tenures for women are connected issues, and we have to work towards better long-term sustainability and a culture of true equity.”
