Western defence has made massive strides, but the sector has a massive gender problem – and it’s costing business, writes Naomi Hulme
At 28 years old, I found myself sitting in a boardroom of 18 men – all middle-aged, white men. Over four hours, I contributed nothing. Not because I had nothing to say, but because no one thought to ask me – until the very end, when someone finally acknowledged me by asking, “Where did you get that coat? My wife would love that coat.”
In those four hours, I learned that culture matters. I’d landed in that room not by accident, but because I’d been identified for a high-performers leadership scheme aimed at developing my skills in board management. And yet, there were certainly no skills developed that day.
Little did I know, this would become standard throughout my career. Women in defence and tech often hear they got where they are because they “ticked a box”. I’ve been told outright, “well, you were in the right place at the right time” or “it doesn’t hurt that you’re a female”. These statements imply that my skills and expertise are secondary to my gender.
While Western defence has made massive strides that should be celebrated, the sector has a continuing gender problem: one that isn’t marrying inclusivity with genuine parity.
The defence gender gap
Just last week, the ministry of defence released a social media post of a meeting held amongst industry leaders, touting this group for its commitment to innovation and building the UK’s skills and talent base. Around a table of 19, just two women sat. It felt eerily similar to my first board meeting, and not in a good way.
And what we see in practice, so too do we feel across the world when it comes to policy. And just last month, the US defence department’s intelligence agency paused observances of Women’s History Month and Women’s Equality Day in response to President Trump’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes in the federal workplace.
Meanwhile, tech – a sector that should be leading the charge on progressive hiring – has its own gender gap. Globally, women hold just one in five chief technology officer roles and a quarter of CEO positions.
Beyond fairness, this lack of diversity is a strategic mistake. Research shows gender-diverse teams outperform their peers. The top quartile of companies for gender diversity are 25 per cent more likely to outperform financially according to a report by McKinsey.
In defence, where strategy and innovation are paramount, diverse teams make better, faster decisions. If we want to stay ahead in technology, warfare and security, we cannot afford to exclude half the population.
Parity over ‘inclusivity’
As a female co-founder of one of the fastest growing tech companies in the UK, I’m proud that at Skyral we don’t just talk about inclusion, we baked it into the foundation of our company from day one. Women make up 20 per cent of our workforce, with the majority of that 20 per cent holding roles in UX design, engineering, product design and delivery. Our senior leadership team is 20 per cent female – four times the UK SME average.
How did we do it? A big part of working at Skyral is seeing allyship as action; it isn’t about passive agreement. That’s why we are developing a toolkit to empower male colleagues and managers to actively support their female peers. True inclusion requires understanding, empathy and a willingness to challenge biases in real-time.
How does this manifest at work? By creating workplaces and policies that truly work for everyone. Breastfeeding mothers should be able to return to work whenever they want without stigma or logistical nightmares, for example.
And pushing far beyond blind recruitment or token promotion based on quotas or policies, flexible inclusivity must become the norm. It is the workplace, not employees, that should adapt.
Through this strategic and empathetic approach to gender diversity, Skyral’s senior leadership team includes women ranging in age from 27 to into their 40s, all with totally different expertise, skills and backgrounds.
How to change it
It goes without saying that Skyral’s senior leadership team meetings paint a very different picture to the first boardroom I sat in. I’m proud that they all feel comfortable to speak their minds, safe in the knowledge that their perspectives are valued because of the merit and talent they bring to our company.
Gender parity in defence and tech isn’t just about fixing numbers – it’s about rethinking how we define success and leadership. Every stakeholder has a role to play.
Business leaders must audit hiring, retention and promotion data with a qualitative eye towards actual professional development to identify where women are falling through the cracks – and fix it.
Policymakers should push for meaningful reforms, such as not only allowing, but encouraging parental leave flexibility for deployed women.
Individuals should mentor women in their field, challenge biases when they see them and advocate for policies that make workplaces truly inclusive.
We don’t have all the answers, but we know this: if we strive for gender parity with honesty, flexibility and a relentless commitment to progress, we will accelerate action, together.
Naomi Hulme is the co-founder of Skyral, a modelling and simulation software company working across defence and intergovernmental partnerships