105 Years Later: Women in Tech Still Need More Chairs

From ‘hepeating’ to sponsorship. 3 ways to add more seats now.

Author

Jen Phillips
August 26, 2025

Hi, It's Jen.

Today is Women's Equality Day, marking 105 years since women won the right to vote in the United States.

But as I wrote this week’s newsletter, I couldn’t help but consider a different kind of equality we're still striving to achieve.

The right to thrive in tech.
The right to lead without burning out.
The right to shape the future of work instead of being pushed out of it.

In today's issue:

  • What losing ground costs us

  • A little about me

  • Low-lift ways to boost equality this week

Read time: 5 minutes

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We're losing ground we thought we'd won.

When I started my tech career, women held 35% of tech sector jobs (across tech and non-tech functions). Today? It’s about the same … and at risk of shrinking.

The women-in-tech talent pipeline is running thin, with only ~20% of computer science degrees now going to women, down from 37% in 1984.

Tech sector layoffs hit us 65% harder than our male colleagues. AI transformation is eliminating roles where we're overrepresented. And return-to-office mandates are forcing mothers out of tech at alarming rates. 

Women's Equality Day celebrates progress. But 2025 feels different. We're not just fighting for equity; we're fighting to hold onto gains we once considered permanent.

I was on a call last week with a tech leader who felt nervous stepping away from her screens even for a moment. Most of her team was laid off in the last round, and she knows another round is coming. 

She skips meals, minimizes breaks, and says yes to work outside her mandate.

She tells herself that being “the most available, most responsive, most willing” is insurance.

But it isn’t. And she knows it, deep down. The data proves it.

105 years ago, women fought for the right to vote.
Today, we’re struggling to keep our chairs at the table.

Ambition

True story. I happen to be a bit of a chair expert. Yes, that’s a thing.

I collect chairs. Old chairs.

In fact, I like to think of them as my kid’s “inchairitance”. 

And when you collect old chairs, you don’t just stumble on them.

You have to be tenacious. Build relationships. Scour websites. Get real familiar with the people who can help; whether that’s restoring, shipping, or tracking down that “bucket list” find.

Stay with me…they’re hard to find because they’re scarce.

But in tech? Chairs don’t have to be scarce. We can design systems so there are enough for all of us.

And just like collecting old chairs, it takes dedication, relationships, and staying attuned to opportunities to make magic happen. Not just hard work. Smart work.

The new ambition isn't just about one women "getting their seat.”

It's about creating systems and networks so more women lead. Are visible, valued, and growing.

When we stay visible and helpful to others, we increase our collective “luck surface area”.

And grow our future’s inchairitance.

GO | DO

Estimated time: 10 - 15 minutes | Estimated energy: minimal

This week, practice sponsorship in three snackable ways

The Visibility Boost (5 minutes)

Publicly amplify one woman's achievement this week. Share her LinkedIn post. Mention her contribution in a meeting. Nominate her for a speaking opportunity. A stretch project.

Amplify a woman who isn’t “in the room”…yet.

The Strategic Introduction (5 minutes)

Connect two women in your network who should know each other. Don't just introduce them, give context. Explain why this connection could be valuable for both.

New connections increase opportunity for everyone involved.

The Credit Check (5 minutes)

In any given meeting, when you hear a woman colleagues's idea attributed to someone else(a phenomenon known as "hepeating"), immediately redirect: "I love how Sarah's idea about X could solve Y."

Small intervention, big impact.

What’s In It For All Of Us

Each action takes almost no energy but creates compounding effects.

When women see other women being visibly supported in the moment, it becomes more normal for us to do the same.

We start to expect it. When we expect it, we start demanding it.

When we demand it, that’s when systems change.

🪑 And that means more chairs at the table for all of us.

Quick favor: forward this email to someone who can help us drive change for women in tech. Making the workplace a healthier place is going to take all of us.

Get In There

📊 Subscribe to The New Ambition: subscribers get full access to my entire content vault. I add to the vault weekly, and many of the “healthy-er” work resources come directly from subscriber feedback.

What's Your Equality Action This Week?

What specific action will you take to sponsor another woman's visibility or advancement this week?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. But in tech, we're fighting for the right to lead without choosing between success and sustainability.

Today’s not a nostalgic ‘huzzah’ for historic gains. It's a perfect moment to talk about shoring up the ground we're standing on, and committing to the work that will ensure the next generation of women in tech won't have to fight so hard for the right to stay.

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