Women in IT After 2024: Why Gender Equality in Ukraine’s Tech Industry Remains a Myth
The world of IT and innovation is often presented as a driver of progress that erases traditional boundaries. But a closer look behind the glossy pages of official statistics reveals a different reality: equality in technology in Ukraine is still far from ideal, just as it is in most traditional spheres. The phrase “here, it doesn’t matter who you are” sounds good in marketing, but is often fundamentally misleading. When we look at women’s participation in artificial intelligence, quantum research, cybersecurity and especially the trends after 2024 it becomes clear: a feminist perspective isn’t just appropriate here, it’s necessary.
On the surface, we see growth in female representation in IT: according to DOU and IT associations, women made up about 27% of the sector in 2024 (ten years ago, it was only 16%). However, these numbers are often misleading. In artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and systems analysis, the proportion of women ranges from just 10-13%. In top positions (chief AI officer, CTO, CISO, heads of R&D), women are rare exceptions. This is confirmed not only by Ukrainian research but also by analytics from Deloitte, McKinsey, and the European Digital Observatory.
“Looking at statistics, it may seem that there are a lot of women in IT. But a breakdown by specialty and position paints a very different picture: women are still mostly managers, HR specialists, analysts not developers, system architects, or lab directors,” says Daria Holub, co-founder of Women Tech Ukraine.
Glass Ceiling and Pay Inequality: Facts Not Taught in Textbooks
The gender pay gap in Ukrainian IT averages 18-20% for the same positions (Djinni data, 2024).
The higher the position, the wider the gap: among department heads, the difference reaches 30%. The reasons are not only about “maternity leaves” or “less willingness to take risks.”
- Selection for leadership positions is often informal: “insiders” are recommended, and those insiders are rarely women.
- Lack of mentorship for women: in technical areas, there is a clear shortage of programs that support women not only at the start but also as they advance.
- The “glass ceiling” is not just a metaphor but a daily reality. Only 8% of women in Ukrainian IT companies lead technical departments (Women in Tech Ukraine, 2024), and among founders of AI/cybersecurity startups, it’s less than 5%.
“I spent five years hearing that ‘there are no more gender barriers in this industry.’ But as soon as you approach the decision-making threshold, everything falls back on old patterns and perceptions that ‘women can’t handle the pressure.’ The paradox is that this very environment teaches you to be more flexible, faster, and stronger than many colleagues,” shares Anna Revenko, head of an R&D team in machine learning.
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Surviving, Not Just “Decorating the Reports”: Real Strategies of Successful Women
Women leaders in high-tech companies are not just exceptions. They are women who survive in spite of the system. Their reality is strategic self-education, active participation in hackathons, networking, and most importantly mutual support.
- Visibility and public presence are keys to legitimacy. The more often a female expert speaks and comments in the professional community, the fewer questions there are about her expertise.
- Mentorship and women’s communities are critical. These spaces share not only knowledge, but also resources for survival and growth.
- Continuous self-education: many women get certified at top universities, learn through international online courses, allowing them to stay in the game even during maternity leave or career breaks.
- Willingness to assert their value.“I’ve never been included in a challenging project without first proving my competence. But once you prove it—they start to recommend you, and then your gender becomes secondary. But the road to that is twice as long,” says Maryna Tarasenko, cybersecurity specialist.
Why Ukraine Cannot Afford to Lose Women’s Talent in Technology
Against the backdrop of demographic changes, labor migration, and war, Ukraine simply cannot afford to ignore women’s potential in science and engineering. The presence of women in technical teams increases the level of innovation, flexibility, and “staying power” of companies (McKinsey, DOU Research). More diverse teams can better adapt to new challenges and create products for a wider audience.
But today the main threat is the lack of systemic support:
- State scholarships and grants for girls in STEM are insufficient.
- Educational programs in the regions are often behind modern requirements, and girls are still “redirected” into the humanities.
- “Gender strategies” in companies often stop at the level of HR KPIs, not real support and advancement.
What Needs to Change: A Feminist Practitioner’s Perspective
- Gender audits in companies: not just declarative, but with transparent publication of team composition, salaries, and number of women in leadership roles.
- Development of mentoring programs and women’s tech communities.
- State support through grants, competitions, educational initiatives for girls from small towns.
- Education without stereotypes: from kindergarten, talk about “engineer” and “programmer” as female professions, not just “princess” or “teacher.”
- Public visibility of successful women in tech: more case studies, more interviews, more familiar faces for the next generation.
The Myth Lives On as Long as It’s Convenient for the System
Women in Ukrainian IT are not just a part of a trend, they are a necessity for a country building its future during and after war. Gender equality in technology will begin only when systemic discrimination becomes so obvious that it can no longer be ignored even in press releases. The stories of female leaders are not a reason to relax, but a signal for decisive change. Because equality is not about the heroism of a few, but about opportunities for everyone.
And a feminist in IT is no longer an exception, but an indicator of a mature society. Ukraine has a chance to prove it, if it doesn’t hide behind familiar myths.
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