Beyond the Numbers: How Acronis’ Global Study Reveals Tech’s Unseen Gender Barriers

The Perception-Progress Paradox in Technology

Acronis has launched a groundbreaking global study titled “2025 FOMO at Work: The Opportunity Gap Between Men and Women in Tech,” revealing a significant disconnect between organizational intentions and the actual experiences of women in the technology sector. The comprehensive survey of over 650 professionals across eight countries exposes how differing perceptions about leadership opportunities, career advancement, and workplace inclusion continue to shape career trajectories in ways that often disadvantage female professionals.

The Perception-Progress Paradox in Technology
A Truly Global Perspective on Gender Equity
The Advocacy Imperative: Moving Beyond Traditional Mentorship
Building Inclusive Infrastructure: The Operational Challenge
Leadership Implications for the Channel Ecosystem
From Insight to Action: The Path Forward

A Truly Global Perspective on Gender Equity

This year’s expanded research captures voices from diverse technological hubs including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Singapore, Japan, and Switzerland. The study is particularly significant because it reflects the actual demographics of the tech industry, where women constitute approximately 29% of the global workforce. What emerges is a complex picture of how cultural contexts influence gender equity challenges across different regions.

In Southern European markets like Spain’s Catalonia region, respondents identified cultural expectations and institutional norms as persistent barriers. Meanwhile, in Northern Europe and Asia, the perception gap often centers around leadership pipelines and unwritten promotion pathways. These regional variations underscore a critical finding: effective equity solutions cannot be one-size-fits-all but must be contextually adapted to local organizational cultures.

The Advocacy Imperative: Moving Beyond Traditional Mentorship

The report identifies a significant shift in how women are approaching career advancement. While traditional mentorship remains valuable, the study reveals that women increasingly prioritize advocacy over legacy coaching models. The distinction is crucial: where mentors offer guidance, advocates use their influence, power, and sponsorship to actively create opportunities.

“In influence-driven sectors like cybersecurity and cloud services, where network access often determines leadership trajectories, advocacy has outsized impact,” the report notes. An advocate doesn’t just offer advice—they ensure names appear on short lists, push for seats at decision-making tables, and combat the invisibility that often hinders female professionals’ advancement.

Building Inclusive Infrastructure: The Operational Challenge

Beyond identifying problems, the Acronis study provides a roadmap for meaningful change. For channel organizations, MSPs, vendors, and systems integrators, the findings validate that representation alone is insufficient. Lasting transformation requires embedding inclusion into operational frameworks—talent systems, leadership pipelines, compensation structures, and internal norms.

Organizations that build structured advocacy frameworks coupled with transparent promotion metrics are positioned to close opportunity gaps more rapidly. In fast-evolving domains like AI, hybrid cloud, and cybersecurity, companies that integrate equity into their architectural foundations stand to benefit from stronger retention, deeper innovation, and better alignment across global teams.

Leadership Implications for the Channel Ecosystem

The channel community has historically served as a proving ground for industry transformations—from new earning models to implementation approaches. Now, according to the report, it faces its most critical evolution yet: redefining leadership inclusion.

Cultural benefits: More women in leadership correlates with stronger organizational culture and better decision-making
Reduced attrition: Inclusive environments demonstrate lower turnover rates
Innovation acceleration: Diverse leadership teams drive more comprehensive problem-solving

As Alona Geckler, Acronis’ SVP of Business Operations, emphasized in her comments on the findings, “Closing the gender gap requires more than awareness—it requires infrastructure. The kind that embeds equity into how we operate everyday.”, as additional insights

From Insight to Action: The Path Forward

The “FOMO at Work” findings don’t merely document disparities—they chart a course toward a transformed technology landscape where inclusion becomes coded into leadership DNA. For the international channel ecosystem, this represents both a challenge and opportunity to build more resilient, innovative, and equitable organizations.

The full study offers detailed regional breakdowns, industry-specific insights, and practical frameworks for organizations committed to meaningful change. Readers interested in exploring the complete findings can access the comprehensive report through Acronis’ resource center.