International Women’s Day 2026

International Women’s Day 2026

Five emagineers share their views, experiences and solutions

At emagine, we believe progress in technology and business is driven by an inclusive culture and the confidence to challenge the status quo. We also acknowledge that there is still much work to be done across the business landscape to reach a point of balance and that it is every firm and c-suite's responsibility to drive the charge for equality.

Research suggests that the proportion of women working in tech now is less than in 1984 (when it was 35%), with the average proportion of women in tech teams in Europe now standing at 22% in 2023, at 23% in the UK and 27% in the US. At leadership level, whilst the proportion of global tech leaders who are female has risen from approximately 8% in 2015 to 14% in 2023, still only around 6% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. Aside from this, 70% of women working in tech still feel they need to work harder to prove themselves because of their gender.

But statistics can only tell part of the story. This International Women’s Day (8 March 2026), we listen, reflect, and learn from the experiences of five women from our organisation, based across different teams and geographic locations.

Our colleagues share their honest insights on their professional journeys so far, from personal experience of bias to the opportunities and changes they expect or would like to see in the future. Their unique perspectives speak not only to personal resilience, but also to the collective responsibility we all share in building environments in which all talent is recognised, supported, and able to thrive, irrespective of gender or any other characteristics.

Recruitment is a numbers game

emagine's Senior IT Recruiter in Romania, Crina Gheorghe, works in a team of primarily women with any gender inequality in her specific area of work tipping in favour of women. Nonetheless, recruiting for technology-based roles she sees the challenges that women face in the tech space on a daily basis.

Crina, who joined emagine in April 2025, explains: “I think there’s an enduring concept or even prejudice around women working in the tech sector that they are not automatically ‘coded’ to be good at tech, which is hard to overcome and likely to put some young women off. For this reason, in tech-heavy roles we tend to have a lot fewer women.

“When we’re recruiting for business project management roles, the gender balance is quite evenly spread. However, when it comes to technical roles, whilst we always try to strike a balance, it is complicated because it’s a male-dominated space and there are many more male profiles out there. But we do what we can to push forward female developers.”

She adds: “Personally, I really enjoy working in the tech world and seeing the opportunities and the variety of skills and careers out there. My sincere advice to young women considering a career in tech is to have the courage to go for it!”

Inequality is real, the solution is not HR

Whilst HR and recruitment teams play a significant role in sourcing, supporting, and promoting a diverse workforce, emagine’s Chief People Officer Elizabeth Wallace is clear that gender equality is a company-wide agenda, not an HR issue.

“During a career of more than 20 years I’ve witnessed a lot of gender inequality. It has improved, but it’s still there and everyone needs to be involved in driving greater equality”, says Elizabeth. “It must start with the senior leadership team, with transparent frameworks in place to look through a diversity lens."

“It doesn’t matter who you have at the top or whether you have a proactive Chief People Officer if there are underlying systemic issues. One problem is that women often don’t put themselves forward for opportunities in the same way that men do and unfortunately decision-making panels are often not diverse. Training is also an area in which you have to constantly think about unconscious bias.”

Addressing the 2026 International Women’s Day theme of ‘Give to Gain’, Elizabeth also firmly believes that successful women need to give back.

“Women need to hold out their hand to each other”, Elizabeth explains. “I’ve met women who have taken a challenging career route to success, but I often see them progressing alone, without bringing anyone behind them. I think it's important to encourage the younger generation. There’s no place for bitterness or a sense of 'I had a tricky path so they should too’. Mentorship is so important. It shouldn’t be done to boost your CV but instead carried out quietly behind the scenes to genuinely help someone grow. We all have a duty to help our peers, and that includes women supporting each other.

“There is still a perception that tech businesses are run by men, and they only promote men and we need to break this stereotype. And if you do see something that isn’t quite right, you should always speak up. The generation behind me are much better at speaking up than mine and that is the only way to drive change.”

Pay is a problem, but there’s a light on the horizon

Elizabeth highlights that gender inequality still exists around pay and promotion, something she became aware of even before embarking on her own career.

She explains: “In the 1960s, the company my Mum worked for paid a man a third more for doing the same role as her. When she found out, she campaigned for her pay. The situation is better than when I started out but discrimination still happens, so how far have we really come?

“This is why it’s so important to have blended, diverse forums and a transparent structure in organisations today. I’m delighted the new EU Transparency Directive is imminent. It is a very welcome policy that will help businesses pay people equally for the same work, especially in tech.”

The European Union adopted the Pay Transparency Directive in 2023 with Member States having until 7 June 2026 to implement its requirements into national legislation. The Directive is an important step to reduce the gender pay gap for equal or equivalent work, including extensive stipulations around wage transparency and reporting, as well as compensation for victims of pay discrimination and ‘rights to information’ for employees regarding pay scales.

Supporting women into leadership

Rita Pereira, Sales Enablement Consultant based at emagine’s operation in Portugal, agrees that equal opportunities to promotion can still be a hurdle.

Rita, who supports emagine teams to develop high-quality proposals and engaging visual presentations for clients, says: “I think one of the biggest challenges for women in tech is still having equal access to opportunities and visibility, especially at leadership level. There are more women in tech today, which is very positive, but there is still a long way to go.

“Women should have equal opportunities to grow, lead, and be heard. I’m proud to say that at emagine we have many talented women across the company, including in leadership roles, and that is a reason to be proud. I have always wanted to work for a company with emagine's values, where there are opportunities for growth regardless of gender.”

Rita is also in favour of providing opportunities for women to network, receive mentoring and have their work highlighted and believes building this network will help women to support each other.

“It’s important for female colleagues to champion each other. We must not forget that when we do things well, we are sowing good seeds for future women in tech, and we cannot allow any internal gender struggle to develop.”

Redefining what strong leadership looks like

With the wider business landscape built up on traditionally ‘male’ attributes, Chica Cazenave Ribeiro, Happiness & Community Manager also at emagine’s operation in Portugal, highlights that this presents a significant challenge for women, because it comes with a subtle bias that still shapes who gets heard, trusted and promoted.

Chica, who has worked for the firm for three years and whose mission it is to create positive employee experiences by supporting engagement, wellbeing, and workplace culture explains: “When women lead with empathy or emotional intelligence, it’s sometimes seen as ‘soft’ instead of strategic, which can make it harder to be taken seriously. What holds women back is not usually skills, it’s navigating systems that weren’t built with them in mind.

“Real change has to start with redefining what strong leadership looks like, valuing empathy and emotional intelligence as strategic strengths. That means building fair promotion systems, intentional sponsorship, and calling out bias. And it shouldn’t fall only on women to solve; all leaders need to actively drive and model this shift.

Chica adds that she personally experienced gender inequality earlier in her career and says: “When women are given real opportunities, visibility, and trust, organisations gain stronger leadership, better decisions, and healthier cultures. This year’s theme ‘Give to Gain’ is a reminder that equity isn’t a loss for anyone, it’s a collective win.”

Diversity is about more than representation

Whilst the picture varies depending on geographic location and local culture, a universal issue is having more women in positions of influence.

Julia Jaroszewska, Strategic Partnership and Growth Manager who is based at emagine’s operations in the UAE, has worked and lived across the US, European markets and is now based in the Middle East. This has profoundly impacted her understanding of leadership, diversity and inclusion.

She explains: “Each region brings its own dynamics, cultural expectations, and definitions of opportunity. Experiencing this firsthand has strengthened my belief that diversity is not a slogan, it is a structural advantage.

“While I have not experienced overt discrimination, I’ve observed subtle differences in how authority and confidence are perceived depending on gender and cultural context. My education in labour law, diplomacy, and international affairs made me particularly aware of how employment frameworks, cultural narratives, and power structures influence opportunity. That awareness led me to write and publish several articles on equal representation and women’s visibility in business. It also shaped my professional engagement, and I actively support clients in initiatives that promote women’s leadership and visibility, particularly in structured corporate environments.”

Julia believes that a key challenge is that whilst many women contribute significantly at operational levels, fewer are positioned within decision-making spaces where strategy is shaped.

Cultural expectations present another hurdle. Julia says: “I’ve seen how gender dynamics shift depending on geography, which reinforces the need for adaptive leadership, open-mindedness, and flexibility. Building diversity is about more than just representation. It requires psychological safety, intellectual openness, and space for creative thinking. Creativity itself is deeply connected to inclusion. When people feel seen and valued, they innovate and innovation drives growth.

“But individuals must also take ownership of their visibility and growth,” Julia concludes, “and it will take time. Real transformation is not about speed, it’s about direction and it is built through discipline, awareness, and long-term commitment. And when we invest in mentoring, share knowledge, support visibility initiatives, and create platforms for others to grow, we strengthen the entire organisational structure. We build trust, which builds opportunity, which supports growth, and therefore benefits everyone.”

Never be discouraged!

This year’s theme, Give to Gain, reminds us that progress comes from investing in people, and mentoring and nurturing all talent. In supporting future generations of women in tech and business in general, some of our colleagues consider what advice they would give to their younger selves.

For Chica she would press her younger self to never lose her ‘essence’. She explains: “I would say to her: who you are is your strength, not something to dilute. Learn to say no early, set boundaries confidently, and don’t let anyone make you feel uncomfortable for taking up space. Be assertive, own your voice, and lead with your values; you don’t have to compromise them to succeed.”

Rita says: “I would tell my younger self to keep studying and stay true to what she believes in, because the future can be many different things. But it's even better when we're brave!”

Julia would encourage all women to speak up for their rights, and for themselves, and adds: “I would tell my younger self to focus not only on performance but also on perspective. I would tell her to stay curious, stay adaptable, and to build resilience and to never be discouraged!”