Keith Burkett | CC BY-SA 2.0
A recent study ranked Philadelphia as the fourth best city for women in technology.
Reviewing 59 of the largest cities across the United States, SmartAsset determined the Top 15 Cities for Women in Tech in 2018 in its fourth annual ranking. The ranking factors include the city's gender pay gap, average income adjusted to account for housing costs, the proportion of women in tech positions, and women's employment growth over the past four years.
When SmartAsset began the study in 2015, Philadelphia was ranked ninth, but slid down to 15th place in 2016 before rising to 10th in 2017. Compared with the national average pay gap of 16 percent, Philadelphia's ratio currently stands at 94 percent, up from 92 percent in 2017 and 89.5 percent in 2016.
Compared to other industries, women are typically underrepresented in technology. According to PayScale, in non-Tech industries, women make up 57 percent of the “individual contributors,” 48 percent of managers and supervisors, and 36 percent of executives. In tech, the corresponding figures are significantly lower at 32 percent, 28 percent, and 21 percent.
According to SmartAsset, while female representation in Philadelphia's tech industry dropped to 31.7 percent this year, from 32.3 percent in 2017, it remained high compared to the current national average of 25.9 percent.
On the other hand, Philadelphia women working in tech tend to take home lower salaries.
The city ranks 27th in the study's income sector. In 2018, the average woman in the field earned $49,099 after accounting for housing costs, which is below the national average of $53,616.
Fremont, the only California city to make the list, was the 15th best city for women in tech and boasted an average income for female workers of $65,227 after subtracting housing costs.
Overall, Philly’s index amounted to 77.97, compared to the national average index of 58.35 in the study.
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, Missouri managed to maintain their positions as the top two cities since 2015, with indexes of 90.31 and 81.84 respectively.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate