Leading female IT professionals have warned that UK
businesses and the government have a moral and competitive
responsibility to address the looming IT skills shortage by
bridging the gender gap in the IT industry.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the
number of women working in the IT industry has fallen from 27% in
1997 to 21% in 2004, and it is continuing to decline. Just 17% of
students starting computer science degrees this year were
women.
A survey of 1,112 schoolgirls age 11 to 18, commissioned by
Toshiba, revealed 76% of girls were interested in technology and
computers, but 43% would never consider pursuing a career in IT,
and 33% were unsure.
At an industry debate chaired by Patience Wheatcroft, business
editor of The Times, 11 leading female IT professionals from the
public and private sectors agreed that in a male-dominated IT
environment "less pushy" women often did not ask for pay rises or
promotions when they deserved them.
Women who were not appreciated at work voted with their feet,
moving to areas where they could be creative and have their input
recognised, the debate heard.
Women also lost out on networking opportunities. Maggie Berry,
UK communications director at networking group Women in Technology,
said, "From our networking events we have discovered that there are
not always enough opportunities for a younger woman coming up
through the ranks to talk in a very open situation to someone at
the top level on an informal basis."
Flexible working and work/life balance were also key issues.
Sandra Smith, head of IS at Toshiba, said, "The IT industry can be
perceived as being 24x7." She added that skills shortages would
make IT departments more expensive to run.
Ursula Morgenstern, head of e-package solutions at consultancy
Atos Origin, said, "The IT industry is not about working day and
night, but it can be a very time-pressured environment. In our
industry, the work/life balance is really about mobility."
MP Margaret Moran, a member of the parliamentary backbench
committee for women and the IT group, said, "We need to grow the
number of women in IT, otherwise the UK's leading position in the
IT world will be severely threatened."