Autistic women in tech call for intentional inclusion

auticon has highlighted the experiences of autistic women working in technology for International Women's Day, as new figures continue to show low female representation in STEM roles and high unemployment among autistic Australians.

Women accounted for 29% of workers in STEM industries in 2024, according to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Separately, the Australian Bureau of Statistics puts the unemployment rate for autistic people of working age at 18.2%, compared with 7.5% for people with disability and a much lower rate for people without disability.

Based in Sydney, auticon describes itself as a technology company and the world's largest autistic-majority business. It places technology consultants in client organisations in roles such as software development, data analysis and quality assurance.

Workplace culture

Medha Gupta, a technology consultant at auticon, highlighted the role of peer networks and mentoring for neurodivergent women in a sector where teams have often been shaped around neurotypical men.

"Supportive communities and mentorship from people who are going through the same challenges has been the most critical thing that's helped my experience," Gupta said.

"Talking to peers, community support groups, and mentors who are women or neurodivergent helped me learn how to navigate an environment that was built with mainly neurotypical men in mind," she said.

Gupta also described what inclusion looks like inside organisations, focusing on leadership behaviour and how managers respond when employees raise concerns.

"Inclusion is when people in senior positions advocate for you and help bring about changes when you bring up inclusion-based issues," she said.

"When it's openly acknowledged that most workplaces have room for improvement, and when inclusion-based issues are approached with curiosity and enthusiasm, it makes historically excluded groups feel safer to be themselves at work and build genuine relationships with the people around them.

"It helps to build a happier and more trusting workplace," she said.

Intersection barriers

Ivonne Ranisch, chief executive of auticon Australia, said International Women's Day highlighted the intersection between gender and neurodiversity. She framed the issue as both a workforce participation challenge and a business concern for employers trying to widen recruitment pipelines.

"As a woman leading a social enterprise in the tech sector, I see every day how gender and neurodiversity intersect," Ranisch said.

"Autistic women face some of the highest barriers to employment in Australia, yet they also bring exceptional strengths to the workplace. International Women's Day is a reminder that inclusion must be intentional. Australia has a lot to lose through not engaging with the vital strengths of this critical cohort."

Ranisch linked workplace outcomes to day-to-day team environments, including clarity of expectations and psychological safety. She said these factors shaped whether autistic women felt able to participate and progress in technology roles.

"When organisations create clarity, psychological safety, and genuinely supportive environments, autistic women don't just participate; they thrive and provide businesses with unmatched opportunity," she said.

auticon operates as a social enterprise and says it combines consulting work with training and advisory services on neurodiversity at work. It has positioned this as part of a broader effort to change employer practices, rather than placing responsibility only on individuals looking for work.

The labour market context remains challenging. Based on the ABS figures cited by the company, the participation gap for autistic people is large even relative to the broader disability community. At the same time, women remain under-represented across STEM industries, according to federal industry data.

auticon's consulting model places autistic professionals inside client teams, where they work alongside other staff on technology projects. Ranisch said employers needed to treat inclusion as a management responsibility rather than a one-off initiative.