What do five women sat around a table discussing the IT industry have in common that’s not actually that common at all? Answer: they all hold senior positions in IT. No, this isn’t a bad joke, just something that occurred to me as I listened to a roundtable on women in IT that Intellect organised earlier this week as part of Make Your Mark Women's Day and Enterprise Week.

The IT sector tends to be dominated by a male image not only in the media, but also within the industry. It is the image of nerdy bearded men leaning over computers that riles the likes of Claire Curtis-Thomas MP. She is not alone in her concerns. Unsurprisingly all the speakers at the event agreed.

Attracting women into the IT sector is a marathon with many hurdles. Sarah Speake from Google identifies the problem of image. From an early age women are socialised to see technology as the domain of men. In an effort to combat this Google has launched the “doodle for Google” campaign that aims to get kids, both girls and boys, excited about technology. In addition to issues of image the gender pay gap stands at around 23 per cent in the IT sector compared to a 17 per cent average. Clearly more has to be done to encourage women to enter an industry that could be facing a skills shortage. 

The problem of attraction is matched by that of retention. Sue Davis, human resources director at Sopra Group believes a better infrastructure is needed to accommodate women’s paternal and maternal needs. If there is an investment in intellectual skills, that investment should be protected through a structure that allows people to come back to work.

Positive steps have been taken through using new technology. Videoconferencing and increasing work from home practices have sought to accommodate some of the structural problems. However Kate Craig-Wood of Memset believes this to be a short-term solution to an issue that is rooted in environment and culture. Solutions to this are to be found by changing perceptions of the industry among young women and providing them with positive female role models. Gillian Arnold of IBM sees a sustained contribution from women in the IT industry and positive government initiatives as key to realising these goals.

The issues raised here are not new, however this doesn’t make them any less important. Wholesale changes in image, recruitment and culture are required if the IT industry is to succeed in attracting and retaining women.

By Daniel Smyth