The Truth About Mothers In High-Tech Jobs

Historically, mothers have shown higher levels of ambitions at work than women overall. Ahead of Mother’s Day, we were curious to find out which tech roles have more women and mothers and to debunk the persistent myths about women and mothers in tech regarding the “suitability” of specific roles for women or men. Here are five stereotypes that Aimprosoft research debunks:

Stereotype 1. Women are not interested in complex technical specializations:

Operations research analysts, where 55% of employees are women, show that women are actively engaged and successful in highly specialized and intellectually challenging fields. The presence of 56K women mothers with advanced skills of effective work under pressure, a key skill in complex technical specializations, increases the interest in the loyalty of this category of employees.

Stereotype 2. Programming and software development are predominantly male domains:

In reality, 20.2% of software development roles are held by women, with a total of 431,068 women in this field. What’s truly inspiring is the presence of nearly 319K mothers in software development, showcasing their unique ability to learn and adapt quickly, a trait shared by both developers and mothers.

Stereotype 3. Roles related to interfaces and web design are “easier” and, therefore, more suitable for women:

Web and digital interface designers, 42.7% of whom are women, confirm that women are actively engaged in technically demanding and creative roles, but there are almost 13 times fewer of them (33,733) than women programmers. Speaking of mothers, their skills as great and comprehensive communicators, developed with their children, help them effectively communicate visual and functional ideas to clients.

Stereotype 4. Women rarely choose careers in areas of high responsibility or complexity:

The high participation of women in roles such as software quality assurance analysts and testers (44.1%) demonstrates that women participate in complex technological processes and also successfully fulfill key roles in ensuring the quality and reliability of software. This field already has 24K women mothers, considered one of the most responsible categories of employees. They are very organized and excellent at time management and multitasking, and the trend is set to increase in the future.

Stereotype 5. Women are not cut out for highly skilled jobs in the tech industry:

The percentage of women in the role of Computer Systems Analysts is 37.8%, and there are 143k mothers, which shows similar aspects in this role and mothers related to management, decision-making, organization, communication skills, and multitasking.

This data shows that women are actively working in diverse and important technology roles, disproving many traditional stereotypes about the “suitability” of certain professions for women.

Methodology

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The total number of men and women employed in 2023 was 161,037,000. Among them, 4% (6,502,000) were employed in technology roles (Computer and mathematical occupations), with 1,749,038 women and 1,294,288 mothers (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74% of mothers with children under 18 participated in the labor force in 2023).

Based on the percentage and number of women and mothers in technological roles, we have the following distribution of women and mothers by role:

*Statisticians, Computer and information research scientists, Actuaries, and Mathematicians are not included as do not present the interest

Aimprosoft revealed the following trends in the employment of women in various technological roles:

High participation of women:

• Web Developers took 57.7% of women showing the highest percentage of women, which may indicate that this role is more accessible and attractive to women with children.
• Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers are presented with 44.1% of women remaining the role quite attractive to mothers due to its focus on details and organizational aspects, which are inherent to mothers.

Average participation of women:

• Database Administrators and Architects, with 30.8% of women, attract mothers who like structure.
• Computer Systems Analysts, 37.8% of women, represented in this role demand analytical skills, which women, especially mothers, often develop while solving daily tasks and managing household chores
• Operations Research Analysts, with 55% women, stand out among the others. This significant share of women may indicate greater openness or fewer barriers in this area.

Low participation of women:

• 7.7% of Computer Network Architects are women, which may indicate higher barriers to entry or cultural stereotypes that discourage women from this role.
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators, with 16.7% of women, often require regular emergency response or work outside of standard business hours, which can be challenging to combine with the demands of motherhood.
• Information Security Analysts, along with 19.3% of women, demonstrate the demand for such skills; however, it requires specialization and constant knowledge updating, which can be difficult for mothers due to their tight schedules and high-stress levels, making it less attractive to them.