The pay gap between men and women in IT has widened to its highest level in nearly a decade, figures suggest, as rapid salary growth in AI and other specialist roles pushes male earnings further ahead.
Women working in IT now earn significantly less than their male counterparts on average, with the gap increasing steadily in recent years after narrowing during the pandemic.
The data, analysed by specialist accountancy firm Integro Accounting using HM Revenue and Customs Pay-As-You-Earn records, shows the median gender pay gap in the sector has reached 17.6 percent.
It marks a steep rise from 13.6 percent in 2022, reversing earlier progress and reflecting changes in how the sector has developed since the end of widespread remote working.
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High-growth tech roles widen gap
The increase has been driven by strong pay growth in high-demand areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity, where men remain heavily over-represented.
These roles command some of the highest salaries in the sector, and faster growth in these areas has pushed the overall male median upwards at a quicker pace than for women.
Christian Hickmott, managing director of Integro Accounting, said the gap has been widening consistently since the pandemic. “While the IT gender pay gap narrowed during the pandemic, the figures show a clear upward trend from 2022 onwards, with the gap increasing year-on-year through to 2025.”
He said changes in working patterns had played a role in shaping outcomes. “During 2020 and 2021, universal remote working reduced some of the structural barriers that normally hold women back in tech, shrinking the gender pay gap.”
Return to office impacts progression
The shift back towards office-based working has also had an impact, with flexibility becoming less widespread in some parts of the sector.
Hickmott said women were more affected by this change, particularly those balancing work with caring responsibilities. “As companies pushed staff back into the office after the pandemic, women were disproportionately affected because they were more likely to rely on flexible or hybrid arrangements.
“The reality is that visibility still largely drives progression, so that shift favoured men and contributed to the widening pay gap.”
Structural issues persist in tech pipeline
The imbalance is also linked to the pipeline of talent entering the fastest-growing areas of technology.
Fields such as AI and cybersecurity draw heavily from science, technology, engineering and mathematics backgrounds, where women remain under-represented.
As these specialisms continue to expand and attract higher salaries, the gap between male and female earnings is likely to grow unless representation changes.
The nature of many tech roles may also play a part, with long hours, on-call demands and rapid upskilling requirements affecting those returning from career breaks.
Pressure on employers to address imbalance
The widening gap comes as employers face increasing scrutiny over pay equality and diversity in high-growth sectors.
Experts say that improving access to flexible working, supporting career progression and increasing female representation in specialist roles will be key to closing the gap.
Hickmott said the current trajectory is unlikely to change without intervention. “AI, cybersecurity and other high-growth technical fields remain male-dominated, and these are precisely the roles that have seen the biggest post-pandemic salary jumps.”
With demand for advanced tech skills continuing to rise, the challenge for employers will be to ensure that opportunities and pay growth are more evenly distributed across the workforce.
William Furney is a Managing Editor at Black and White Trading Ltd based in Kingston upon Hull, UK. He is a prolific author and contributor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional, with over 127 published posts covering HR, employee engagement, and workplace wellbeing topics. His writing focuses on contemporary employment issues including pension schemes, employee health, financial struggles affecting workers, and broader workplace trends.
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
- William Furney
