The Gender Gap of Technology

The Gender Gap of Technology

In the beginning of information technology women were not in the background, they were in

the forefront of the field. In 1833, Ada Lovelace was considered one of the world’s first computer

programmers with a calculating machine that she engineered with another professor. In 1946 the

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was programmed by six women at the University

of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electronically Engineering. In 1944 Grace Hopper created a software

compiler for the United States Navy that was the first of its kind. These women are examples of the

important roles of woman in the early years of the IT industry. (Guteck 623)

Today there are relatively few women in leading roles in the IT industry. At most, 50% of

women in the IT industry are in entry level positions like: data entry clerks, desktop publishers, and

electronic component assemblers. Women as a group comprise 81.6% of data entry clerks, 66.5%

desktop publishers, and 54% of electronic component assemblers. (Guteck 623)

An interesting fact is that the lowest paid positions are data entry clerks, desktop publishers,

and electronic component assemblers for women in the IT industry. Each of these positions average less

than $24,000 per year. Women make roughly 30% less than men in comparison to equal occupations on

average. (Guteck 623) When talking about salaries at the top positions in the IT industry, women earn

approximately $6,000 less than men in positions such as Chief Information Officer and Vice President.

(Hoffman 54)

Umesh Ramakrishnan, Vice Chairman of Cisco Technology partners feels that paying women

less will result in shorter retention rates. Ramakrishnan suggests that women whom are unequally

compensated should evaluate the competitions pay grade for the same position and present

information back to the leaders of the organization. This may help show the leaders in the company that

women are paid better at their competitor’s organizations. (Hoffman 54)

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Women endure greater hardship at most organizations during their careers because men often

gain advancement opportunities more frequently and without as much effort. (Hoffman 54) Veterans of

the IT sector report that there needs to be a more conscious effort to recruit and prepare women for

higher positions of employment. Companies might want to consider adapting policies that prevent

discrimination against women and promote higher education within the organization.

In a recent study of women in the IT industry in New Zealand it was found that there are three

different methods women enter the IT sector. Primarily women enter the field of IT by either choosing

the career, natural progression of the corporate ladder or by accidently discovering a hidden talent

related to IT. According to the study, salary plays a higher role when women chose their profession

however; job interest remains the number one cause. Also, women in this study discussed the desire to

leave a corporation because of a lower salary and some stated that they had left previous positions.

Women are less likely to negotiate for higher salaries because society views many traditional

stereotypes, according to the New Zealand study. One example of these stereotypes is that males are

more aggressive when negotiating for salaries than women that are more passive. (Crump 358 – 361)

The New Zealand study determined that most of the women with lower salaries worried more

about childcare and other benefits than the women whom earned higher salaries that have no children.

Some women worried that having children later in their careers would interfere with their IT jobs. The

importance of family over higher roles within the IT sector remains at the top of the decision making

process when women were choosing careers. (Crump 61 – 62)

Women with families often weighed the balance between working long hours in front of

computers versus working normal hours and spending quality time with their loved ones. The New

Zealand study reported that men choose to work independently and in seclusion with computers no

matter what sector they are in. Communication styles were also found to be different between men

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technicians and women technicians. Women were found to be the ones that communicate the

technical information better to the clientele than men. (Crump 365)

To change the current situation of the gender gap in the IT industry, there needs to be some

changes in recruitment philosophies and the post hire training environments. The leaders in the field of

IT need to work to establish better mentoring practices to continue the education and leadership

initiative of women. Some leaders have come up with development paths that chart the course of

employees that encourages them to become future leaders. Diversity Advocates feel that recruitment

initiatives need to change to cater more towards women and the planning of their career

advancements. (Pratt 84)

In a 2007 study of the United Kingdom IT field, initiatives to encourage women were looked at

and evaluated on their abilities to encourage retention in their current occupation. The initiatives

studied in the United Kingdom focused on educating women in the IT field and positioning them with

companies for a long term commitment. Although this type of initiative is encouraging it does not

always focus on the individual needs of women. (Gillard 19)

Most of the women surveyed suggested that they did not feel their families came first in the IT

field. They sometimes felt like the IT field was overpowering because they were required to work long

hours. It was also found that once completing an educational program in IT, women found it harder to

find positions in the field that competed with men in the same capacity. This study also concluded that

child care hindered the decision making process of women entering and staying in the IT field. The issues

of flexible working hours, ability to get an IT job, and childcare show trends that need to be addressed

for women to decrease the gap between the genders. (Gillard 26,27, & 30)

Another program called Girls Get IT initiative in Florida funded by the Florida Department of

Education and the CISCO Networking Academy is focusing on working towards getting girls kindergarten

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through college interested in going into the IT field. Girls choose alternate occupations other than IT

somewhat due to the lack of early educational software that is interesting to girls. The Girls Get IT

initiative is working to decrease the gap between the genders by training, mentoring, and exciting young

women at an early age. (Florida Department of Education)

Diversity of women in the IT field is important because of the diverse populations that are

being served and the unique attributes that women bring to the field. If the IT field becomes more open

to women, the retention rate and productivity of women will be increased. We have a diverse

population of computer users in the world and thus it is equally important to have a diverse population

of employees servicing those customers. It is important to remember for the future employers in the IT

field should encourage recruitment efforts of women and continue to increase their advancements

through mentoring and planning.

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References

Crump, B., Logan, K., & McIlroy, A. (2007, July). Does Gender Still Matter? A Study of the Views of

Women in the ICT Industry in New Zealand. Gender, Work & Organization, 14(4), 349-370.

Retrieved May 2, 2009, doi:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00348.x

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=25276170&site=ehost-live

Florida Department of Education, Cisco Tackle IT Gender Gap. (2005, March). T H E Journal, Retrieved

May 2, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.


Gillard, H., Mitev, N., & Scott, S. (2007, January). ICT Inclusion and Gender: Tensions in Narratives of

Network Engineer Training. Information Society, 23(1), 19-37. Retrieved May 2, 2009,

doi:10.1080/01972240601057254


GUTEK, B. (2006, November). Doing IT: Women Working in Information Technology – Krista Scott-

Dixon. Gender, Work & Organization, 13(6), 621-623. Retrieved May 2, 2009,

doi:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2006.00325_1.x


Hoffman, T. (2007, November 12). WOMAN IN IT: A Lopsided Pay Scale. Computerworld, 41(46), 54-54.

Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.


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Pratt, M. (2005, December 12). REACHING OUT To Women And Minorities. Computerworld, 39(50), 84-

84. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.


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The Gender Gap of Technology