What’s new
The government has announced plans to develop two new voluntary standards aimed at closing the gender gap in UK technology, covering workplace culture and investment practices. The move, confirmed as part of the Chancellor’s Budget, will be led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) through the existing Women in Tech Taskforce.
A separate scale-up programme for women-led businesses is set to launch in 2027, run jointly by DCMS and BIST, offering workshops, peer learning, networking and introductions to investors.
The numbers behind the push
The government cites a call for evidence in which 74% of respondents said better workplace culture would support women’s progression and leadership in tech. It also points to venture capital data showing only 2p of every £1 invested in UK venture capital currently goes to women-founded businesses.
On representation, DCMS states that women make up just 22% of the UK’s IT workforce. Closing participation gaps, the department says, could add up to £4 billion a year to UK GDP, while enabling women to found and scale businesses at the same rate as men could unlock £310 billion for the economy.
Who’s involved and what the standards could contain
Early industry ambassadors named by DCMS include BT, Revolut, Sage, Balderton Capital and Octopus Ventures, who will co-create the standards alongside the Women in Tech Taskforce.
The first, dubbed the “Tech Forward Standard”, is aimed at improving workplace culture. Potential commitments include developing trusted harassment reporting routes so that workers feel able to come forward.
The second, the “Inclusive Investment Standard”, targets the funding gap faced by women founders. Possible commitments include broadening deal sourcing channels and tracking women-led businesses’ progress from pitch to funding decision, so investors and founders can see where deals drop off and where changes are needed.
Both standards remain voluntary at this stage, and DCMS has not set a date for when they will be finalised or how firms will be expected to sign up.
What it means for UK tech
For UK startups and scaleups, the announcement signals that investors and employers may face closer scrutiny of how they treat and fund women in tech, even though compliance will not be mandatory. Women-led businesses could, in time, gain better visibility into why pitches fail to convert into investment, a gap the Inclusive Investment Standard is designed to expose.
For large employers such as BT and Revolut, involvement as “early ambassadors” suggests they will help shape the practical detail of the standards before wider rollout.
Digital Inclusion Minister and Women in Tech Taskforce co-chair Vicky Foxcroft said too many talented women are leaving tech or never getting the chance to build a career in it, calling this both unfair and a waste of economic talent.
What to watch next
The key dates to track are the development timeline for the two voluntary standards, neither of which has a confirmed publication date, and the 2027 launch of the scale-up women’s programme. UK founders and employers should watch for further detail from DCMS and BIST on how firms can participate and what, if any, reporting or disclosure the standards will eventually require.