Why Are Women Leaving Tech Just as AI Takes Off? With Adair Robins - Tech Council Australia

<p>Women make up just 20% of Australia’s highly technical workforce. After age 40, that drops even further. So what is happening at the exact point when women’s experience should be becoming more valuable?</p><p></p><p>In this episode of <b>AI Ready Women</b>, Georgie Hubbard and Lou Compagnone are joined by <b>Adair Robins</b>, former Head of Diversity and Transformation at the Tech Council of Australia, to unpack why women are leaving technical careers mid-career, what AI could mean for that trend, and why the next few years could also create a huge opportunity for women.</p><p></p><p>Adair shares insights from the <b>Women in Highly Technical Occupations</b> research, including the finding that women leave highly technical roles at almost twice the rate of men during mid-career.</p><p></p><p>We also talk about what happens when career progression collides with caring responsibilities, why flexibility and workplace culture still matter, and why women need to be part of the teams designing, leading and implementing AI.</p><p></p><p>Plus, Adair shares the story behind <b>Back in the Code</b>, a full-day agentic engineering course designed for parents currently on or recently returned from parental leave.</p><h3>Resources mentioned</h3><p><b>Back in the Code — Melbourne, 24 September</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_ai_course_cohort2" target="_blank">https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_ai_course_cohort2</a></p><p><b>Back in the Code — Future Cohort Waitlist</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_engineering_waitlist_form" target="_blank">https://events.techcouncil.com.au/agentic_engineering_waitlist_form</a></p><p><b>Tech Careers Hotline Podcast</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://techcouncil.com.au/tech-careers-hotline-podcast/" target="_blank">https://techcouncil.com.au/tech-careers-hotline-podcast/</a></p><p><b>Women in Highly Technical Work Report</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://techcouncil.com.au/research/" target="_blank">https://techcouncil.com.au/research/</a></p><p></p><hr /><p>✨ <b>60 Day Bold Move Career Accelerator</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves" target="_blank">https://www.georgiehubbard.com/bold-moves</a></p><hr /><p>📚 <b>The Bold Move</b><br /><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theboldmovebook.com" target="_blank">https://www.theboldmovebook.com</a></p><hr /><p><b>Connect with Georgie:</b><br />LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiehubbard/</a><br />Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard" target="_blank">http://instagram.com/georgielhubbard</a><br />Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.georgiehubbard.com" target="_blank">https://www.georgiehubbard.com</a></p><hr /><p><b>Connect with Lou Compagnone:</b><br />LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/loucompagnone/</a></p><hr /><p><b>Connect with Adair Robins:</b><br />LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adair-robins/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/adair-robins/</a></p>