The gender gap in technology in Latin America is a deep and persistent dramatic challenge that goes beyond numbers. Although the technology industry in the region is experiencing unprecedented growth, it also faces significant challenges in terms of gender equality.
A new study of Get on Board reveals that female participation continues to be underrepresented, especially in senior positions seniority and technical roles.
The analysis, based on more than 25,000 applications for tech jobs between September and November 2024, revealed worrying patterns. On average, only 9% of senior information technology (IT) positions are held by women in the region. In some countries, such as Chile, Peru and Ecuador, this percentage is reduced to an alarming 7%. Colombia shows a slightly higher participation, with 12%, but it is still far from parity.
“The data shows that the gap deepens in the most technical areas and in the most senior roles,” says Macarena Larraín, Product and Data Leader at Get on Board. “In Argentina, female participation is 32% for digital positions in general, which despite being the highest in the region is still a very low number, and drops dramatically to 16% for STEM roles (Science, technology , engineering and mathematics).
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The study also sheds light on the pay disparity between men and women in technology. In senior roles in Mexico, women report average salary expectations of $40,000 MXN, while their male peers expect $50,000 MXN. In Chile, the gap is similar: women in senior roles expect an average of $2,000,000 CLP, while men aspire to $2,500,000 CLP for the same positions, a difference of 25%.
This difference not only reflects inequality in expectations, but also in salary offers. As seniority increases, disparities become more evident, perpetuating a structure of inequity in the industry.
What does female participation look like by specialty?
Female representation varies significantly by area of specialization. In design, women have a majority presence of 56%, but in mobile development, they barely reach 8%. The only category where women predominate is in Customer Service, with 54% of the applications.
This suggests that gender stereotypes continue to influence the choice of technological careers. Additionally, the transition to more senior roles is particularly difficult for women. Across the region, female participation falls by 25% when moving from Junior to Semi-Senior and 42% from Semi-Senior to Senior.
Another finding is the relationship between work modalities and female representation. Women are more represented in roles that do not allow remote work (34%) compared to fully remote positions (22%). This raises questions about additional barriers to accessing more flexible working arrangements, which tend to be concentrated at senior levels. In Chile, 57% of senior technology positions are remote, compared to only 23% for jobs without required experience.
“We believe that these figures should be a wake-up call for the entire technology industry,” says Agustina Colunga, COO & Co-Founder of Get on Board. “Reducing the gender gap in the technology industry is not only a question of equity, but also of competitiveness. “A more diverse workforce is key to innovation and sustainable growth in the sector.”
There are also marked differences by industry. While the financial services industry has a 44% female participation in IT roles, the IT services and IT consulting industry has just 7%. “This may be because roles in IT consulting industries are less attractive or have less interesting work environments for women,” says Macarena Larraín, Product Leader at Get on Board.
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