The dual-market report, Rewards & Resilience (UK) and Doing it for Themselves (US), surveyed more than 500 senior women across both countries revealing 45 per cent of US respondents and 40 per cent of UK respondents agree their greatest aspiration is to inspire other women in tech. This came far ahead of salary or promotion goals.
But behind the optimism lies a serious gap in opportunity, support and representation.
The support structures to make that ambition a reality are still lacking with 2 in 5 women saying they don't have access to mentorship or peer networks. Many are the only senior woman in their team, or company, able to offer that support.
In the US, women aged 61+ were the least likely to feel successful, supported, or even enjoy their jobs. They were also the most likely to report gender discrimination and distrust in internal reporting systems.
This trend was not mirrored in the UK, indicating a troubling, age-specific intersection of gender bias and invisibility in later career stages for US-based women.
However, the US is leading in terms of the path into tech with 42 per cent of female leaders having switched from another career in industries such as education, healthcare and retail.
In the UK, only 28% had made a similar switch, and among women under 40, just 1 in 10 had entered tech via another route, revealing an untapped opportunity in the UK to broaden tech pipelines and attract talent midway through their careers in different sectors.
Linda Benjamin, VP from AND Digital commented: "Women in tech are energised, empowered and ready to lead, what's holding them back isn't ambition, it's outdated systems and narrow career pipelines and it's time to remove those barriers. We need bold leadership across the industry to make space at the top to ensure AI and other technology innovations are built with everyone in mind."
With only 22% of AI-related roles currently held by women, AND Digital warns that gender disparities could worsen as AI adoption accelerates. If leadership pipelines remain narrow, the risk is not just about fairness, it's about building inclusive, bias-aware, and human-centred tech.
AND Digital is calling on tech leaders and policymakers to widen entry routes into tech to support career switches and boost peer mentorship and support networks, especially in underrepresented organisations to put women at the centre of AI development and leadership.
Lauren Hine, Chief of Marketing & Alliances at AND Digital commented: "The narrative around women in tech is shifting, not because the system has changed, but because women are pushing forward despite it. What's becoming more clear is that potential is everywhere but access isn't and we need to rethink how we attract, retain and elevate female talent."
"This means businesses taking a people AND innovation approach to create real pathways for career-changers, making mentorship the norm rather than the exception and ensuring that support doesn't disappear as women rise through leadership. Inclusion and diversity isn't just nice to have, it's essential for building technology that works for everyone and that will be the key to driving growth for businesses."
