International Women's Day 2026 – mentorships, hands-on experience and trust top the wishlist for women new to the tech industry

Working in a male-dominated industry like the tech sector poses a variety of challenges for women. To mark IWD 2026, I’ve spoken to women who have recently joined the industry to find out what they see as the biggest hurdles to overcome, and why mentorship is so important to climbing the ladder as a woman in tech.

While Amy Clarke, a Technical Publications & Training Design Apprentice at Thales UK, is confident in her ability to progress in the tech sector through hard work and pushing herself, working in such a male-dominated industry causes some concerns about her ability to progress. She explains:

Even today, most people in the executive teams and senior roles are men. I sometimes do wonder if this means it will be harder for me to develop my career because of this.

Clarke is able to reassure herself that progression in tech isn’t just ...