Where Are the Women in IT?

Where are all the women in the I.T industry? Here I am at work in an office full of some very bright IT professionals. Around me are Server Engineers, Testers, 4th-Line Specialists and Packagers...in total about 40 people ranging in age from late 20's to early 50's. There are people who are White, Black and Asian. However despite such a mix, there is one thing that stands out in my mind. There is only ONE (yes one) woman! This situation is representative of what is going on in thousands of organizations across the UK. I really wonder why? I can't think of why more women aren't choosing IT as a career. According to research by the British Computer Society:

Females represent 45% of the UK working population but just 19% of the IT professional workforce.
There is a significant pay gap between male and female IT professionals - ranging from 14% for young professionals (aged 16-29) to 30% for women aged 40-49.

The number of females in the UK's ICT industry is only two thirds that of Italy and Ireland.
Although females taking IT related qualifications in Secondary Education are low in number, they consistently outperform their male counterparts. It can be presumed, therefore, that if females were more inclined to participate in IT careers then the pool of talent available to IT employers might improve noticeably.

I believe that part of the problem is how IT is 'perceived' among people in this country. Whether it's in the media or educational system, I do not know but IT workers are often seen as 'geeky', 'nerdy' males who stare at a computer screen all day. Nothing could be further from the truth. IT people I say are just as colourful and well-balanced as anyone else. The last point above indicates that girls are not trying out IT subjects in secondary schools as much as boys, but yet they are better at it when they do. Therefore the strategy of getting more women into IT starts when they are young.

The education system has to 'market' IT as an attractive career choice to girls so more girls enter. Then for those girls who do well in IT, they should be encouraged to go all the way and enter thand progress in the profession. IT can be presented as a career in a much more 'gender-neutral' way so that girls see it as something they can enjoy and that it's 'not just for the boys'.

After all in these days of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, it seems women are tapping on those PC and laptop keys more than us men anyway.In these modern times, women are breaking all kinds of barriers...getting in to all sorts...construction, plumbing, fire services, armed forces, etc...professions often see as male-dominated. Well, why not IT? I believe that this work place (for sure) and the IT industry as a whole would be better off for it!

David_R_Benson

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