U.S. Women Say Gender Bias and Unclear Advancement Opportunities Hold Them Back from Entering the Tech Industry

New York – May 15, 2019 – According to new research from Booking.com, one of the world’s largest travel commerce companies and a digital technology leader, almost half of US women currently working in tech (49%) say gender bias during the recruitment process is holding women back from entering the industry.

Despite efforts to uplift the representation of women and minorities in the tech workforce, the research shows challenges starting from the recruitment stage may be discouraging women from applying for tech roles at all. This means tech companies may be turning away qualified women before they even have the opportunity to get started.

When looking across audiences, it’s female undergraduate students interested in a tech career who feel most strongly about the challenges posed by gender bias during recruitment. More than three in five (67%) view gender bias at recruitment as a barrier for women to enter the tech industry.

“Much of the conversation on improving gender diversity in tech to date has focused on what the tech industry, education systems and governments can do to get more girls and young women interested in STEM at a young age and on the path to a future career in tech,” says Gillian Tans, CEO of Booking.com. “Our research highlights just how pivotal tech companies’ recruiting practices are to getting female candidates across the line into a role within tech. This includes how they talk about the industry, the job descriptions they post and the opportunities they promote. When we consider that 51% of women globally believe hiring practices that attract a more diverse workforce are the most essential contributor to their success in tech, these findings are particularly significant.”

Tech hiring behaviors are pushing women away, rather than drawing them in

When asked about specific recruiting and talent identification practices used by technology companies, responses from women working in tech further indicate how the industry often fails to accurately describe - and therefore recruit for - the full range of roles and opportunities a career in tech can offer. One of the contributing reasons for this may be the language used by tech companies when advertising for new roles, with many believing that the use of subtle nuances and ‘male-coded’ words such as “lead” or “dominant” risk excluding or alienating women, resulting in fewer considering such roles.

Following on from this, job descriptions are further isolating women from applying for non-technical roles within tech, with almost half of women (49%) saying job roles are not written with women in mind. Booking.com’s research shows half of female tech professionals and female students (50%) believe tech companies tend to talk more about the technical roles, such as coding, product design, data analysis and engineering, at the expense of featuring the non-technical roles which might equally be of interest.

Supporting this, nearly three in four women in tech and female students interested in a career in the field (70%) say they still believe they are required to have technical skills or a degree in technology or computer science to get a job in the industry, regardless of whether it is for a technical role or non-technical role in a department like Human Resources, Finance, Legal and Marketing, for example.

When it comes to having a clear career path within the tech sector, 58% of women feel the opportunities for them to advance aren’t made clear at the outset - another factor hindering them from entering the industry. This sentiment is strongest among women returning to the tech sector after having taken a career break (62%).

“Our research findings support the notion that, for years, tech companies have talked about the industry and the roles available within it in a way that has appealed to men, but has alienated and put off many women, whether it’s the language used in job descriptions or during the recruiting and hiring process. As one of the first interactions a candidate has with an organization, we need to ensure that the application process is gender balanced and inclusive, so we’re not closing doors and turning women away at this early stage,” says Tans. “Equally, as an industry, we need to do a better job of highlighting for women the multiple pathways that exist for a career in the tech field.”

Once hired, men and women face different experiences with advancement and leadership

When asked about progression opportunities once they’ve entered the tech industry 58% of women feel they are expected to meet every requirement of a job posting to advance, while men tend to be promoted based on their future potential.

A higher number (63%) feel attitudes and behaviors viewed positively in male colleagues are seen to be negative in women. Half (51%) of women surveyed feel they don’t receive enough development or leadership opportunities.

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Notes to the Editor:

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among 6,898 respondents (from the UK, USA, France, Brazil, The Netherlands, Germany, China, Australia, India and Spain). Respondents completed an online survey from August 2 to September 6, 2018. Respondents include high school and undergraduate students entering the field, early career and experienced technology professionals and those returning to the sector.

About Booking.com:

Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Booking.com now employs more than 17,500 employees in 198 offices in 70 countries worldwide.

With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travelers with the world’s largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in 43 languages, offer over 28 million total reported listings, including more than 5.7 million listings of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, and covers more than 148,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.

Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal place to stay quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in over 43 languages, any time of the day or night.

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