The world of software development is indeed developing at a fast rate. But here, when it comes to diversity, men rule.
This problem shows that improvements, particularly in the number of female software developer, are still having a long road ahead. While women do make up more than half of new computer science graduates and junior developers entering the workforce, according to HackerRank, most of them don't go beyond title.
While women under 25 are 33 percent more likely to study computer science than those who were born before 1983, they are more likely to hold junior positions because they struggle to advance their careers.
Despite being equally capable as their male counterparts.
To come into this conclusion, HackerRank's did a 10-minutes online survey involving 14,616 professional developers (1,981 women and 12,635 men)
"Clearly, there's a lot of work to be done, but you can see that the trends are there [and] that more women are getting into CS programs," said Sofus Macskássy, VP of data science at HackerRank. "There's a more welcoming environment for women than there was 30 years ago."
The survey shows how the technology industry is struggling to increase female representation and gender equality.
This is true, especially when toxic work environment like the bro culture, and during the #MeToo movement that highlights sexual misconduct in many other industries.
"Any awareness around the issue is helpful," said Ritika Trikha, head of communications at HackerRank. "We're hoping that these movements, these campaigns, these eye-opening statistics help with this problem of growing more women in senior roles. The onus is really on managers, directors, VPs, people in the power seat. They have the clear opportunity to accelerate the change."
But nevertheless, women are having an increasing chance.
If compared to previous generations, the study concluded, the gap between men and women over 35 who began coding before age 16 has dropped from 20 percentage points to just 7 percentage points. As software becomes increasingly needed beyond just the tech sector, women in programming are increasingly showing their capabilities in building software in areas like finance, education and retail.
"The tide is turning," Trikha continued. "Hiring managers and anybody that mentors women has the opportunity to change everything. It's just a matter of time."