Men make x3 times more than women in digital wellbeing - here's why

As we are celebrating contributions of women to the society during the International Woman's Day, I can't help sharing an interesting pattern that came up in our latest research of the 2025 Global Digital Wellbeing Market.  

While more than 70% of digital wellbeing practitioners are women, they are 3 times less likely to be among the top earners. We are living a paradox: while the majority of women are helping shape a more human-centric and empathetic approach to technology, which is desperately needed in the world, the way opportunities and income are distributed still has room to evolve.

Why is this happening? 

While there are certainly structural barriers (i.e. media coverage still is often focused on English-speaking ex-tech executives or academics, who happen to be largely white males), the real different is how high earners (men in our case) approach building their business.

Low Earners (often women) trade time for money, work solo, charge low fees and hourly pricing, and serve individuals and families, often focusing on awareness-based services that do not scale.

High Earners (more often men) build leverage through products, teams, and large organizations, decoupling income from personal labor and focusing on building ecosystems. They are more likely to:

• Treat digital wellbeing as a primary profession rather than a side activity

• Work with organisations and institutions instead of relying mainly on individuals

• Use research-based frameworks, clear methodologies, and ROI narratives

• Collaborate in teams, networks, or delivery consortia rather than working along

This has to stop, if we want to have a more empathetic approach to technology that affects us all. This is why at CDI we prepare resources for digital wellbeing professionals to help them build a sustainable business from their passion.

If you want to learn specific strategies that high earners use, I invite you to check out the CDI 64-pages long detailed report 📊How to make money in digital wellbeing? Income, Business Models & Financial Power Dynamics in the Digital Wellbeing Industry