Every year, on the second Tuesday of October, the world pauses to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day, honouring the pioneering mathematician widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer.

Lovelace imagined a future where machines could process not just numbers, but ideas, a vision that laid the foundations of modern computing. Nearly two centuries later, that spirit of innovation is under threat as the UK faces a mounting loss of women from the tech workforce.

The recent Lovelace report highlights that this isn’t a pipeline problem, it’s a system failure. Despite women making up just 20% of the UK tech workforce, the report finds a broken career framework is driving experienced talent out of the sector at an accelerating pace.

More than three-quarters of women with 11–20 years’ experience have waited over three years for a promotion, and over half earn below-average pay for their level.

While 90% of women surveyed said they want to lead, only one in four believe they can. The report estimates an annual cost of £1.4–2.2 billion from women leaving the industry, plus a further £640 million–1.3 billion from churn as women move between tech employers.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of Digital Poverty Alliance commented: “With women being 14-22% more likely to be in digital poverty than men, Ada Lovelace serves as an important reminder of the need to close the gender gap in access to technology. Without the right tools, connectivity and digital literacy, many women face a self-perpetuating cycle of exclusion that limits their ability to participate in the workforce.

“Celebrating Ada’s legacy is not just about honouring the past, it’s committing to a future where every woman can thrive in a digitally connected world where digital exclusion doesn’t just affect access to devices, but it deepens existing inequalities by restricting opportunities to education, job application processes, healthcare and financial planning tools. We must work together to ensure that digital access is recognised as a fundamental right, and that no one is left behind in the digital age.”

The timing couldn’t be more significant. As the UK aims to scale the national AI workforce twentyfold by 2030, the sector already faces a shortage of 98,000–120,000 professionals across AI, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. Yet rather than strengthening its talent base, the industry is steadily losing skilled professionals at a time of national urgency.

On Ada Lovelace Day, this research serves as both a celebration and a call to action, a reminder that women have been central to technological innovation since its inception, and that the UK cannot afford to lose the next generation of its brightest minds.

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