SheTO’s State of Women in Engineering report exposes the global drop-off in career advancement for women engineers, especially at the director level and issues a call to action for the tech industry

SheTO, the largest global network of women and non-binary engineering leaders, today released The State of Women in Engineering Leadership 2025, a report that uncovers the systemic barriers preventing women from advancing beyond middle management roles. Produced in partnership with Allstacks and Mayfield, the report draws on data collected from 300 participants across industries, geographies, and career stages, offering one of the most comprehensive looks at women in engineering leadership to date.

In its inaugural report, SheTO identified a pivotal barrier coined “The Director Ceiling,” where representation for women in leadership drops from 14 percent at the manager level to just 9 percent at the director level. This is the moment careers stall, bias compounds, and advancement narrows. To combat this drop-off, companies must create intentional pathways, building a bridge for women rather than facing a cliff. Structured promotion processes, visible sponsorship, and early leadership investment are critical to shift the director level from being a breaking point to becoming a springboard for the next generation of women executives.

“Our data shows that the career ladder for women in engineering often stalls at the director level,” said Nidhi Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of SheTO. “Too often, women hit a wall at middle management and are pushed out of the leadership pipeline, not because of a lack of talent, but because of bias and limited advancement opportunities that block the way to the top. Through our Leadership Accelerators, we are making a real impact by equipping women with the tools, confidence, and community to break through to the next level.”

The report sheds light on what happened after the industry-wide push for diverse hiring a decade ago. While early-career hires improved, the lack of retention and advancement infrastructure has left many of those women stuck or walking away entirely.

Backed by partners at Mayfield and Allstacks, SheTO’s research aims to inspire systemic change by highlighting where organizations are falling short — and how they can do better.

“We sponsored this report because we believe data drives action,” said Navin Chaddha, Managing Partner at Mayfield. “Our hope is that this becomes a foundational resource for engineering leaders who want to build inclusive, scalable teams — and for women navigating the tech industry with ambition, resilience, and clarity.”

Key Findings from the 2025 State of Women in Engineering Report

1. The Director Ceiling

Women in engineering hit a major drop-off at the director level, a leadership rung critical to advancement. While 14% of engineering managers are women, only 9% advance to director roles. The data shows that once women enter management, they face steep odds of continuing to climb.

2. The Scaling Gap

Representation declines as company size increases. Women hold 17.4% of engineering leadership roles at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, but that number falls to just 6.9% at companies with over 10,000 employees.

3. DEI Works

Companies that implemented DEI hiring practices showed significantly higher representation of women in leadership. In an era where DEI is being questioned, this data point reinforces that when done deliberately and strategically, DEI efforts drive measurable impact on diversity in engineering leadership.

4. The VP and CTO Void

Two-thirds of organizations surveyed have no women at the VP level in engineering, and just 7% of CTO roles are held by women. The higher the ladder, the fewer women appear.

“If two-thirds of the companies building tomorrow’s AI have no women at the executive engineering table, we have a massive problem,” added Gupta. “We’re not just talking about representation, we’re talking about the future of equitable, responsible technology. It won’t exist if the people building it don’t reflect the world it’s meant to serve.”

Report Facts

• 300+ respondents from across the globe (majority U.S.-based)
• Covers engineering professionals across tech, health, education, and media
• Includes leadership insights from startups to large enterprises (10,000+ employees)
• Developed in partnership with Mayfield and Allstacks
• Created to dig deeper than industry-wide stats and identify where and why the leadership pipeline is breaking
• Access the full report here: https://www.sheto.org/reports

ABOUT SHETO:

SheTO is the largest global network of women and non-binary engineering leaders. It is a 100% vetted community built exclusively for women+ leaders in Engineering, IT and adjacent roles. Whether you’re looking for a mentor, want to improve your network, meet amazing tech leaders, want to lean on others like you for support, or simply just want to give back, this community of more than 5000+ women across 65+ countries is for you. SheTO is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and proudly hosts annual summits, regular events and more to strengthen the bonds within its community and accelerate the careers of its members. Founded by women engineers, for women, and with the support of strong allies and partners, SheTO’s mission is to close the immense gender gap in engineering executive roles. To learn more, please visit: https://www.sheto.org/

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In its inaugural report, SheTO identified a pivotal barrier coined “The Director Ceiling,” where representation for women in leadership drops from 14 percent at the manager level to just 9 percent at the director level.