Women in Science, Business, and Technology: The Numbers You Can't Ignore

Asem Bolatzhan, city — Almaty, Managing Director, Instagram

When we talk about the position of women in science, technology, and business, the numbers speak for themselves.

1. Women in Science

According to UNESCO, only one in three researchers worldwide is a woman. And yet, despite their significant contributions, only 12% of them hold leadership positions in scientific institutions. The situation with the Nobel Prize also tells a lot: from 1902 to 2022, only 3.6% of laureates in science were women. This does not mean that women are worse; the issue is not about competence, but about systemic barriers.

2. Women Founders of Startups

Women-led teams still face difficulties in attracting investments. Today, only about 2% of venture capital is directed toward startups with exclusively female founders. In 2024, this amounted to $6.7 billion out of the trillions invested overall. This represents a huge unrealized potential.

3. Women in Venture Investments

The venture industry itself is also far from equality. In the US, women hold approximately 11% of partnership positions in VC firms. However, when it comes to women with real decision-making power, there are only about 5%. After all, it is investors who determine which ideas will succeed and which will not.

4. Women in Leadership

In Kazakhstan, women occupy 18.4% of seats in parliament, which is already a step forward. But in the boards of directors of large companies, women make up only 10-12%. Overall, no more than 30% of mid- and senior-level management positions are held by women. This creates a shortage of women's voices where strategies are formed and key decisions are made.

5. AI for Her — Women's Training in AI

Women's interest in technology is growing. More than 3,000 women applied for the first course of AI for Her by Women in Tech. This is a signal: women are ready and willing to master AI; they just need access to knowledge and support at the start.

6. Women's Entrepreneurship

In Kazakhstan, women own more than 54% of individual businesses and 45% of small and medium-sized businesses. This is impressive. However, international organizations such as UNDP and OSCE note that many female entrepreneurs lack digital skills. And these skills are becoming key today.

7. Gender Pay Gap

Even with equal positions and qualifications, women earn approximately 25% less than men. In the IT sector, the gap is even larger — up to 45%. In terms of time, a woman needs to work until the end of March to earn the same amount that a man earns by December of the previous year.

8. Gender Stereotypes in AI

Today, only 22% of women are involved in the development of artificial intelligence. This means that the algorithms we increasingly use are created in an environment with a bias. If we do not change this balance, we risk transferring offline stereotypes into online reality, but at the code level.