Answer extracted from The Athena Rebels Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why do over half of UK women in tech leave by age 35?
Over 50 percent of women in the UK tech industry leave by age 35. This statistic is particularly striking when overlaid against the prime child-rearing years that coincide with this same period of professional life.
The timing trap: career and family collide
The significance of this figure becomes sharper when you understand what happens around returning to work after maternity leave. 80 percent of UK mothers report that returning to work after maternity leave is extremely tough, a figure that compounds when the workplace culture is as demanding as tech.
For women in tech specifically, the pressure isn't just about juggling two roles—it's about doing both in an industry where presence and availability are often equated with commitment. As discussed in The Athena Rebels Podcast, the practical and emotional strain of this balance forces many women to make a choice: remain in the industry or step back.
The age 35 threshold matters because by then, many women have already navigated their first return to work and made progress in their careers. Yet they often find themselves facing a second, harder decision about whether that career path remains sustainable alongside family responsibilities.
"If a job's worth doing you do it as well as you can to your capacity and your ability and if you can't then you do need to look at is this right for me still."
Lamara Thorne — Team Member, Academy Team at Pax8. Lamara is a working parent with three children who has navigated returning to work after maternity leave firsthand. She took six months off after her first child was born over 13 years ago and returned on a part-time basis of 30 hours per week. She has since progressed significantly in her career at Pax8 and actively mentors new hires through structured onboarding processes.
The statistic also reflects broader structural issues: statutory paternity leave in the UK is only one to two weeks paid, while mothers can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave (with 39 weeks paid). This imbalance means that parenting responsibilities fall disproportionately on women, leaving them with fewer realistic options for truly equal partnership in both work and home life.
Beyond policy, there's a cultural dimension that the hosts explore at length in this episode—the expectation that women can somehow "do it all" without trade-offs, while simultaneously being held to the same performance standards as colleagues without caregiving responsibilities. By age 35, many women have decided that this equation doesn't work, and they leave.
The cost of staying versus the cost of leaving
The decision to leave often comes down to practical economics. Full-time nursery care for a child under two costs approximately £14,500 per year in the UK, which can consume a significant portion of a salary, particularly for women earlier in their careers or in roles that don't command the highest salaries.
What makes this statistic urgent for the tech industry is that these women aren't leaving tech because they lack ability or ambition—they're leaving because the structural and cultural barriers make the cost (in time, stress, and money) too high. Understanding this distinction matters for employers who want to retain talent and for women themselves who may feel they've somehow failed by stepping back.
Key takeaways
- Over 50% of women in UK tech leave by age 35, a critical loss of experienced talent and institutional knowledge.
- 80% of UK mothers find returning to work after maternity leave extremely tough, a challenge that the tech industry often amplifies through cultural expectations.
- Unequal parental leave policy (one to two weeks for fathers versus 39 weeks for mothers) reinforces the burden of childcare falling primarily on women.
- The decision to leave is often economic and structural rather than a choice about career commitment or capability.
See also
What is Heather McDonnell-Alford's philosophy on cash flow management for MSPs?
Heather is emphatic that cash flow is the most misunderstood financial concept among MSPs, who often believe they are financially healthy simply because of their profitability metrics.
What advice does Heather McDonnell-Alford give to women who want to put themselves out there professionally but are afraid of criticism?
Heather's advice is simply to do it, but to do it with the right people around you. She acknowledges that criticism will come, often from unexpected sources, but resilience grows with experience.
How does Heather McDonnell-Alford handle self-doubt and imposter syndrome as a business owner with ADHD?
Heather acknowledges that having ADHD comes with a very harsh inner voice and an extremely high level of self-expectation, which can lead to being very hard on herself and doubting her abilities.