Women At Work8 Juli 2025

Tech bros and why women leave the industry with Emma Jones

The technology industry has a persistent gender gap. And according to RMIT university, the biggest single opportunity to close Australia's digital skills gap is (drumroll please)… women.

But here's the kicker - this isn't just about tech. This is about power, money, and who gets to shape the future. When women make up only 30% of the technology workforce in an industry that's literally building tomorrow, we're all missing out. And with a critical shortage of skilled workers in tech, fixing this gap isn't just nice to have - it's economic survival.

That's exactly what today's guest, Emma Jones, spends her time fighting for. Emma founded Project F with the express purpose of reducing the number of women abandoning technology mid-career - because yes, they're leaving in droves, and it's not because they can't code.

She launched Australia's first national industry standards for the tech sector, the T-EDI standards, alongside the Tech Council of Australia. And as a busy mother of four, she embodies the balance between career and family life that she advocates for in the workplace

But Emma's not here to give you the usual "get more girls into STEM" speech.

This passionate advocate is moving the conversation beyond blaming the pipeline to tackle the real question: why are we losing talented women who've already made it into tech? What are the invisible barriers that push them out? And most importantly - what does this mean for all of us living in a world increasingly run by technology?

Whether you work in tech or just live with it every day (spoiler alert: that's everyone), this conversation will change how you think about who gets to build our digital future.

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