New data reveals female developers will work for free for approximately 41 days due to pay gap

New data has identified the date when every woman in computing will start working for free this year, based on the difference in average earnings between men and women.  

The findings, provided by web design company DesignRush, analyzed the current gender pay gap in the computing industry, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, and compared this to the 2024 working calendar to identify this year’s ‘equal pay day’ in every state. 

An ‘equal pay day’ is a symbolic measure that identifies when, on average, women’s earnings catch up to those reported by men in the previous year. It works to highlight the ongoing gender pay gap, which is prevalent in male-dominated fields like computing. 

And with female developers across the US currently earning an average of 84.2% of what their male counterparts make, they’ll work for free for 41 days this year.  

This means that women who work in the computing field will ‘stop getting paid’ on November 20 nationwide – although this date will be even earlier in the states with a larger pay disparity. 

The gender pay gap can vary from state to state due to factors like educational attainment, with those who are more qualified earning more for the same role, the diversity of the workforce in each state, and family policies that affect the value of paid parental leave.  

The state with the largest pay gap is Alaska, with female developers currently making just 60.6% of what male developers earn. This means they effectively work for free for 39.4% of the working calendar, or 103 days – so stop getting paid on September 19 this year.  

Following behind as the states with the second most significant pay disparity in the computing field are North Dakota and Delaware, with women earning 66,3% of what men earn. This equates to 88 days unpaid, so women stop making money from October 4. 

In Mississippi, female developers will start working for free from October 20, as they are paid 27.6% less than their male counterparts, while those in Arkansas will cease to get paid from October 22 – 70 days earlier than men working in the same field.  

The 10 states with the biggest computing pay disparity  

On the other end of the scale, the state with the smallest pay disparity within the computing sector is South Dakota, with female developers earning 99.1% of what their male counterparts make. This means they start working for free from December 29.  

In Idaho, this work-for-free date is slightly earlier on December 21, as women working in development earn 3.8% less than men, while in Connecticut, female developers stop getting paid on December 16 due to making 94.3% of their male counterparts’ earnings.  

Although this is significantly smaller, no state reported equal pay within computing, pointing to nationwide gender-based discrimination and a lack of equal opportunities.  

The gender pay gap reported across computing professions is also slightly larger than the national average across all industries, which stood at 82%, according to the latest figures from the Pew Research Center.  

The 10 states with the smallest computing pay disparity  

In 2023, over half of global organizations reported a skills shortage in tech (54%), while a recent Deloitte survey identified recruiting and retaining talent as the biggest tech workforce challenges – despite significant layoffs. 

Yet many skilled women working in the computing sector will be put off applying for positions at organizations with a significant gender pay disparity – particularly if they feel at risk of discrimination due to maternity leave issues, unfair treatment, or a lack of accommodations. 

Speaking on the findings, Gianluca Ferruggia, General Manager at DesignRush, says: “While skill gaps can stem from changing organization needs, increased globalization, or inadequate training systems, it can also be exacerbated by difficulties attracting and retaining qualified workers – especially in a competitive field like computing.  

“Last year saw widespread layoffs across the tech sector, with reportedly more than three million workers being affected by this mass workforce reduction. Yet most of these organizations will need to retain their current talent and attract new skilled workers to remain operational – and if they have difficulty doing so, they need to evaluate why that may be. 

“Discrimination of any kind is unethical and should not be tolerated, including gender disparity. Not providing equal opportunities for female workers to advance their careers or get compensated equally reflects poorly on your ability to manage, maintain, and satisfy your current workforce and needs rectifying as a priority this year.”