As much as the U.S. proclaims itself the land of equality, the reality is less than equal.
There are multiple studies proving that women are underrepresented in the tech force, whether it’s research showing that women earn roughly 75-80% of men’s salaries in tech or that women make up about 35% of the workforce of major tech companies with only half of them in actual tech positions. Gender equality in tech doesn’t exist.
However, the gender gap is closing, if a little late (after all, the Equal Pay Act was signed 53 years ago). Why is it closing now?
One of the biggest changes impacting the increasing number of women in the tech workforce is the rise of remote work. Pair remote work with high-profile stories like Ellen Pao’s lawsuit and women’s surge at Salesforce and it becomes clear that more attention is being paid to gender equality in tech than ever before.
The tech gender gap is closing, but it’s not closing all at once, which means that some jobs are more gender equal than others.
For a remote tech job in 2016, these three positions are the most gender-equal:
1. Web designer
What started as a soft skill and an afterthought in development has become a huge technical field in its own right. Design is no longer a blanket term for a job position, but instead encompasses all kinds of professions, from UX and UI design to mobile and web design.
Web designers are in high demand because every business needs a great website, and many women are stepping forward to meet that demand. Currently, women make up about 70% of design students and 40% of the design workforce.
While that statistic does raise troubling questions about the drop-off of students to professionals, design is nevertheless the strongest female pipeline for tech talent currently in the industry and is the field closest to achieving an equal balance between male and female employees.
2. Project manager
Ten years ago, remote project management would have been nearly impossible. Yet today, with the creation of communication apps like Slack and Skype, the rise of team management tools like Asana and Trello, and the prevalence of 4G allowing people to be connected online at all times, remote project management is not only feasible but effective.
A study by Binfire revealed that 30% of project managers are women, and while that’s certainly not equal, another study by Dice revealed that the pay between male and female project managers is equal. With an average pay of $98,000, pursuing work as a project manager can lead to a long and successful career.
3. Any position at a tech giant
In 2016, the largest tech companies can guarantee something that no startup or small business can: equal pay across all departments.
For example, Salesforce put $3 million towards establishing equal pay in 2015, and Arjuna Capital has challenged 9 companies to provide salary transparency, including Google, Facebook and Amazon.
More importantly, 57 large tech companies have signed the White House’s Equal Pay Pledge, a $50 million initiative that will create transparency and encourage company-wide reviews. Most of these companies also have remote-compatible jobs, so it’s possible to work for them without coming into the office.
While these equal pay changes are ongoing, results are already showing, with companies such as Apple already achieved equal pay. In the coming months, large tech companies will continue to attract more women as they live up to the promise of the Equal Pay Act.