Women in IT positive about careers - but glass ceiling still not broken

The majority of female technologists believe that being a woman in the IT sector is a positive experience with the pace of change, opportunity and working with cutting edge technology cited as the top three things about their careers. Thatís according to a new survey by career development and networking portal, womenintechnology.co.uk.

When asked what the best things were about being a woman in the IT sector, over half (55%) answered ëcontinual changeí and almost half (49%) stated that they also valued the opportunities available. ìI like being at the forefront of new development and feeling like Iím making a difference that affects many peopleî, said one respondent while another commented ìI get to influence technology focussed individuals who may not consider the softer or more creative side of the process.î There were also some more quirky responses to the question including the fact that women liked ìempty ladiesí toilets at technical conferences!î

However there were also signs that a glass ceiling is still in place in the industry with 58% saying that being a woman makes it harder to succeed in an IT career, and 55% believing that they did not earn as much as their male colleagues in similar roles. Many personal anecdotes pointed to the perception that women in the industry were held to much higher standards – as one respondent put it ìwhat would be fabulous skills in a man seemed to be considered as ëonly to be expected, nothing specialí in a womanî. Additionally around a third of women said that they would be put off taking a career break because of the pace of change in the sector highlighting the need for employers to do more for women returners.

ìThis research provided some very interesting feedback and statistics and highlighted some important issues that women in IT face throughout their careersî comments Maggie Berry, Director of womenintechnology.co.uk. ìItís a challenge that wonít be resolved overnight, however the work we do and the events we hold both aim to arm women with the skills and knowledge they need to help overcome some of these problems and hopefully chip away at that glass ceiling.î

The research is based on responses from 167 women working in all levels of technology. For more information about the survey please contact Sam Woodward, sam@bluesky-pr.net.