Women in IT: Problems and solutions
Judy Armstrong
Published: 22 Jun 2005 16:00 BST
Is IT unfriendly to women?
In many ways, IT is unfriendly because of the nature of the job. IT is a 24/7 job. Achieving any significant position in IT often means putting your career before many other aspects of your life. You will find yourself putting in 70- or 80-hour weeks, becoming deeply committed to both the short-term and long-term needs of your career, and this will result in the loss of time spent with family or in personal activities.
When asked in a recent survey if their IT jobs were meeting expectations, 52 percent of women said they worked more hours than expected. The same survey stated that 40 percent of the men felt the same way. It is hard work, and most people, especially those who want to participate in a significant family life, are not willing to make the sacrifice.
What Is IT losing when women leave the IT workforce?
Many studies show that women excel at collaboration, juggling multiple tasks, and prioritisation. Women have a very different way of looking at problems. Research suggests that women see more nuances and have a more holistic approach than men, who are more linear thinkers. Without both kinds of thinking, you lose the breadth of perspective that can approach a problem from multiple directions, resulting in creative solutions otherwise unavailable.
Women managers who possess the inherent skills required of a good manager often add compassion, nurturance, and sensitivity to the role. While this is not vital to success, it does help to build teams that work well together.
Women look to maximise, not necessarily to win, in competitive situations. Often, it is not as important to win as it is to achieve the maximum gain.
Another loss is that of sheer talent. The more people you have in the talent pool, the better your chances of success. Getting and keeping good talent is expensive; replacing a valued worker can cost a company two to three times said worker's annual salary.
Diversity also adds to the overall health of a profession. Individuals and organisations need to work on creative ways to attract this diversity, not only in gender but in all other ways as well. We would be no healthier if current balances were reversed.
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2 comments
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RE the statement "Moving into the new millennium,... Fed up with PC for the sake of it -
I can't help thinking the reason IT is domina... Mark Jameson
