How HR Can Stop 87% of Women Leaving Tech Within 10 Years

Women are leaving tech roles at pivotal points in their careers, according to a new UK-wide report commissioned by Akamai.

Drawing on responses from 1,500 women across the UK – 1,000 who have left a tech role and 500 who have returned to tech after a career break – the study finds that 55% of women leave tech roles or tech companies within five years of entering the industry, and 87% leave within 10 years.

“Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of brilliant women working in technology, but I’ve also known many who have walked away from their careers,” writes Natalie Billingham, EMEA Managing Director at Akamai, in the report introduction.

“Their stories have stayed with me. These are not women who lacked ambition, talent or resilience. They are women who hit a wall: a culture that didn’t see them, a career path that narrowed rather than opened or simply a working pattern that couldn’t flex around the rest of their lives.”

The findings point to culture as a central driver of attrition. More than half of respondents (52%) reported a lack of belonging, and 40% cited a lack of gender diversity in leadership.

Inflexible working hours were also a consistent barrier, with 56% saying they struggled with work-life balance.

For senior people leaders, the message is clear: the moments that matter most for retention are being lost to culture, representation and flexibility gaps.

Addressing these systematically – through inclusive environments, visible leadership pathways and work designs that flex across life stages – will determine whether experienced women can and do stay.

“What we wanted to understand better is when women leave, why they leave and, critically, what it would take for them to come back,” Natalie says. “That is what this research sets out to answer.”

Where are they going?

Of those who have left the tech sector, only 15% left the job market and are not currently working.

Others moved into finance (13%), education (13%), professional services (12%) and healthcare (12%).

“We lose women from cybersecurity at the exact moment their expertise becomes most valuable,” says Zoe Mackenzie, President of Women in CyberSecurity for UK & Ireland.

“This isn’t a pipeline problem, it’s a leadership one. Diverse teams build stronger defences. Until organisations commit to inclusive leadership, not just diversity hiring, they are actively weakening their own security posture.”

Among the 1,500 women surveyed, 192 identified cybersecurity as their primary specialism. A substantial majority of these professionals – 75% – reported that opportunities to work on meaningful security challenges positively influenced their satisfaction.

For senior HR and security leaders, the signal is clear: retention in cybersecurity depends on leadership accountability and role design that gives experienced women consistent access to high-impact, mission-critical work.

How to win back lost talent

Nearly four in ten (39%) women who have left tech say they would consider returning under the right conditions, including higher salary, improved work-life balance and clearer career progression.

“Knowing that many of the barriers to full female participation in the technology workforce have been structural means that we can be intentional and strategic about change – the structures that were built for yesterday can be rebuilt to fully engage and retain the entire workforce of today and tomorrow,” says Khalil Smith, Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity and Engagement at Akamai.

Flexibility is a decisive lever. Thirty-seven percent cited flexible working arrangements – such as part-time roles, compressed workweeks or job-share opportunities – as viable routes to a better work-life balance.

Natalie Billingham adds: “By providing opportunities for progression, flexible work and appropriate remuneration, tech leaders on the precipice of technological innovation have the chance to create impactful change on the tech workforce, fostering longer-lasting tenures, diverse leadership and an environment where women can thrive.”

While internal policy shifts are vital, external experts stress the importance of the practical logistics that shape the return-to-work journey. “The findings provide a valuable picture of what mid-career women are looking for in order to return to tech and it’s encouraging to see that the majority could be persuaded to come back under the right conditions,” says Hazel Little, CEO of Career Returners. “Progression pathways are crucial for retaining talent, but equally important is ensuring that women who want to return have clear, supported ways to reenter the sector in the first place. When employers build both return pathways and progression pathways, they create an environment where women can come back, grow and stay.”

For senior HR leaders, the mandate is to convert intent into retention by redesigning work, reward and progression systems to meet experienced women where they are—and to support their momentum once they return.