Web Summit Survey Reveals Tech Gender Pay Gap and AI Workload Concerns

58% of women in tech believe their salaries are unjust, marking a sharp rise from 37% in 2025, according to the "Gender in Tech 2026" report released by Web Summit. The survey, conducted among over 1,000 women ahead of the Lisbon summit, highlights a crisis in retention: 42% have considered reducing hours or leaving the industry due to burnout, childcare costs, and sexist behaviors like having ideas ignored until men propose them.

AI Impact on Workload

The broader tech community remains divided on artificial intelligence’s role. While 55% of professionals feel AI strengthens reasoning, 60% report an increased workload. In AI infrastructure roles, this rises to 70%. Only 20% of all respondents say AI has reduced their labor burden. Expectations for entry-level jobs are grim; 42% predict reductions, with senior executives even more pessimistic at 50%.

Divergent Views on Equality

Women express deep skepticism about AI’s ability to foster equality. Confidence that AI helps gender parity dropped from 75% in 2025 to just 31% in 2026. Many fear high leadership is treating AI as an "exclusive boys' club." Conversely, older workers (over 65) are more optimistic about cognitive benefits, with 71% seeing improved reasoning versus 48% of younger staff. Overall, while 39% expect team growth, 42% anticipate smaller, more productive teams, signaling a shift toward efficiency over expansion.

Source: Infobae notes the persistence of sexism, with 52% reporting recent discriminatory behavior. Source: Portafolio emphasizes the workload increase, particularly in machine learning sectors, and the split opinion on job security across different age groups.