Let me go on record and say that I think everyone who works primarily with WordPress should participate in this survey. I know firsthand how little data there actually is around the world of work in WordPress.

After all, I created the first-ever employee engagement survey for the WordPress ecosystem. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s called the Team Experience Index. Okay, the shameless plug is done. 

Go ahead and take the survey, I’ll wait…

What is WP Includes?

If you’re not familiar with WP Includes they are a relatively new group on the scene in WordPress. Their mission is to reach gender parity in leadership teams across the top companies in the ecosystem.

Co-founded by Francesca Marano and Siobhan McKeown, the group is focused on mentoring women in WordPress to help prepare them to take on more senior leadership roles. I spoke with a member of the group, Dee Teal who told me a little about the challenges women currently face.

“Because there are so few women in senior leadership roles, there aren’t many opportunities for prospective leaders to gain access to existing networks.” 

Dee goes on to discuss how executive groups are often exclusive to people who are already at that level and with so few women in that group, you can imagine what it is like. How do you network, glean insights and develop professionally when there’s just no way to get in?

WP Includes, by starting with mentorship, aims to break through that glass floor by connecting women in senior leadership positions with others on the cusp of attaining those roles. In a sign of the ecosystem’s alignment with WP Includes’ mission, the group has already received sponsorships from three of the largest global agencies (XWP, Human Made & Crowd Favorite).

What is the Gender Equality in WordPress Business Survey?

Earlier this year I was asked by Rae Morey, editor of The Repository, if I had any data on women in WordPress. She was looking for data about women in senior leadership roles, pay bands, types of roles, etc. While the Team Experience Index collects some demographic data, it isn’t at the level that would be helpful for an organization looking to produce a report on gender equality.

The Gender Equality in WordPress Business Survey asks questions about the length of time in your role, salary, type of role, the gender of whom you report to and several questions on engagement and professional development. 

I found the survey questions insightful and I’m excited about the data points that will be gleaned from the responses. For example, is there a correlation between the size of a company and gender pay parity or ownership by women? Is there a correlation between the length of time a man spends in WordPress before becoming a senior leader versus a woman? 

Once the survey period is complete, the team at WP Includes plans to turn the results into a report they’ll publish later in the year.

What does a survey like this say about WordPress?

For some, a survey like this will be uncomfortable. It will shine a light on something that, perhaps, they’re happy to keep under the rug. Perhaps they think we’re doing fine so why would we intentionally create controversy? I think it says a lot about the maturity of WordPress.

The ecosystem is growing up. As we continue to make inroads into the enterprise space, we need to relate to the organizations that are becoming our peers. I wonder how gender diversity in leadership of WordPress companies would compare to tech more generally or to other industries that represent our clients and customers.

This year we’ve already had the release of the Web Professionals Survey by The Admin Bar. With the Gender Equality in WordPress Survey and the 2024 Team Experience Index, we’re building a dataset that will give strategists in WordPress a lot to work with. 

As someone committed to seeing open, people-first workplaces spread in WordPress, it’s a very exciting time. A massive thank you to the volunteers and contributors that are working to bring these datasets to the ecosystem.