Women in Tech Don’t Need a ‘Career Ladder’, They Need a Career Runway

For years, the tech industry has been obsessed with a linear career ladder. Success is believed to mean climbing from junior engineer to senior, then team lead, then management, and eventually to the C-suite. And for women in tech, this expectation is even stronger.

"When are you moving into leadership?"
"Have you thought about managing a team?"
"You're such a great engineer, you'd be an amazing CTO someday!"

These comments might seem like compliments, but they reveal an industry bias based on the assumption that technical excellence is just a stepping stone towards management. But for many women in software, engineering itself is the destination, not just a phase.

Mastery Over Management: A Different Kind of Success

Sarah, a senior software engineer at a leading tech firm, was once pulled aside by a well meaning mentor who told her she was "too talented to stay an individual contributor." Sarah loved her work. She thrived on solving intricate technical challenges, innovating an evolving product and mentoring other engineers. Yet, time and again, she was encouraged to "take the next step" into management. When she finally caved and accepted a team lead role, she found herself drained, not by the responsibility but by the fact that she was spending more time solving people problems than actual engineering. Eventually, she made a bold move and transitioned back into an engineering role. "I was happiest when I was building," she said. "Why should success mean leaving behind the thing I love most?"

Ditch the Ladder and Thrive in Technical Mastery

Instead of pushing women toward management, the industry should focus on giving them a runway. Give them space to accelerate, build momentum and take their careers in the direction that best suits them.
A ladder forces a single upwards trajectory.
A runway offers multiple paths towards deep technical expertise, innovation and even lateral moves into specialized roles.
Not every engineer wants to manage people. Some want to develop groundbreaking products, design complex systems or push the boundaries of AI and DevOps. Others want to focus on security, cloud optimisation or becoming domain experts in niche technologies. These roles are just as valuable as the people management roles and yet they're often treated as "extra skills" rather than legitimate career goals.

Why do women face more pressure to become managers?

The push toward people leadership isn't just about career growth, it's also about visibility. As companies strive for gender diversity in leadership roles, women who are excelling in technical positions are often nudged toward management, not because they want it, but because they represent progress.
This creates a double burden. Women in tech are expected to be excellent engineers and also step up as role models for the next generation. While mentorship and visibility are important, they shouldn't come at the cost of individual career satisfaction.

Keeping Women in Tech: Stop Forcing The Exit or the C-Suite

The industry is already struggling with retention. Women in technical roles leave tech at twice the rate of men (ref. Harvard Business Review) often due to burnout, lack of support or feeling like they don't belong. Forcing them onto a management track they don't want only adds to this problem.

Instead, companies should:
Create prestige tracks for technical excellence. Engineering should be a lifelong career option, not just a stepping stone to management.

• Offer deep technical mentorship. Pair women with senior architects and principal engineers, not just senior managers, so they see multiple paths to success.
• Redefine success metrics. Pay increases shouldn't be tied to promotions into management roles. Expert level Individual Contributors should be just as valued.
• Encourage career autonomy. Give women the tools, support and flexibility to shape their own trajectory, whether that means becoming a manager, an innovator or an expert engineer.

Build, Innovate and Forge Your Own Path

If you're a woman in tech feeling pressured to take a management role you're not sure you want, here's what you can do:

• Define your own success. If you love hands on engineering, architecture or research, commit to excelling in those areas. Success is what you say it is.
• Seek out role models. Look for founding engineers, principal architects and senior technologists who have built long, fulfilling careers without moving into management. Their journeys can validate and inspire your own choices.
• Find companies that support technical excellence. Some organisations value deep technical expertise as much as management skills. If yours doesn't, it may be worth exploring opportunities where your skills are truly celebrated.
• Push for better career frameworks. Advocate for alternative career tracks within your company that allow growth without requiring a leadership shift. If it doesn't exist, start the conversation.

Let women fly… wherever they want to go

A career in tech shouldn't be about climbing an inflexible ladder. Some women will want to progress to tech management roles and they should be supported. But others will want to build, invent and master their craft, and that should be celebrated just as much.

Not every career in tech follows the same trajectory. Mastery is its own summit. Let talent rise to the top by doing what they do best.