In the past, straight-forward sexism was a real problem in the IT industry – women in IT were discriminated against simply because they were women. Overt sexism like that is finished, legally, and in the western societies we have moved on. However, a second, more subtle form of disincentive exists in the way we work; both in terms of hours and in terms of “male” thinking.
This isn’t straight-forward sexism, but according to Tim Berners-Lee it is a powerful incentive to leave.
“It's a complex problem – There are bits of male geek culture and engineer culture that are stupid [but] we even find bias against women by women. They should realise that they could be alienating people who are smarter and better engineers than they are. And attracting more female programmers could lead to greater harmony of systems design. If there were more women involved, we could move towards interoperability. We have to change at every level.”
Business leaders in America are wringing their hands over the country’s shortage of women technologists; and now that they’re citing it as one of the biggest constraints on growth, it may at last be taken as a serious issue. Robert Birgeneau, Chancellor of Berkley University (CA), recently commented to CIO WorldNews at a technology conference:
"We're at a drastic disadvantage in the United States, which is outsourcing to other countries like India and China, who are working madly to compete with us and who are investing deeply in education. It's an astounding waste of talent in an increasingly competitive world."
Attracting women into technology is not just a problem in the US, of course; it's a big issue worldwide – according to the UK’s Sector Skills council for IT & Telecoms, the European Commission recently predicted a shortfall of 20 million skilled workers in the sector by 2030. The same study revealed that over three-quarters of the girls who showed an interest and aptitude for IT when in school chose another career after graduating. Technology just held no luster for them and, critically, the industry has a lack of female role models.
An end to the macho culture
But things are changing thanks to an evolving corporate culture, and individuals like Sarah Blow - a 26-year-old C#.net programmer. She decided to set up a support network for female techies, Girl Geek Dinners, after attending a technology gathering with industry speakers, and finding that she was one of only 20 women in a crowd of 150 people.
We asked for her thoughts on getting ahead in the IT industry:
”I don’t think I could recommend strongly enough having people to advise, mentor, and encourage your career. However, your mentor has to understand your goals, motivations and skills. They must not have their own agenda when mentoring or sponsoring you.
Something that may not be initially obvious is that you can always have more than one mentor. In fact, I have different mentors for different subject areas. I have a couple of technical mentors; one in the .net space and another in the web design and development space. And I also have a business mentor; a senior executive to bounce ideas off regarding the Girl Geek Dinners. Each brings their own benefits, skills and experiences.
Practical steps that could prevent women from leaving the IT industry would include flexible working, tele-working, and maternity opportunities. Mentoring and a strong career plan are also very helpful, as are good levels of training for all staff, and opportunities given to high achievers.
I don’t believe that women need to be treated differently, but I do believe that women don’t tolerate long hours, inflexible organizations and lack of communications tools as much as men do. They also create opportunities for themselves in other industry sectors through well rounded and transferable skills in personnel and management, and not just those specific to the IT sector.”
Like other women in the technology industry, Sarah has experienced the big put-offs. Machismo is the obvious one, the long hours culture is another. Does she think that the bias against women in the technology industry is getting worse, though?
“
...It’s more like the
battle of the egos...
I think Microsoft
help it along a little
bit by awarding
MVP status.
”
“I wouldn’t class it as machismo for a start… it’s more like the battle of the egos, but there’s usually more to the situation than first seems obvious. When I’ve analysed the situation I realise that where there’s an ego culture or just one person displaying these tendencies, they’re usually trying to hide a weakness instead of working to their strengths. When you talk to these people and they realise this, this culture can quite quickly be broken down.
The machismo culture is one of those things that is created and broken down by management, and it really is dependent on the leadership teams within organizations. It’s not something that I particularly enjoy but you do quickly learn how to break it down and challenge it. I don’t know why, but Microsoft technologies tend to attract certain personalities. And when they become experts in these technologies, some gain these huge egos. I think Microsoft help it along a little bit by awarding MVP status.”
Interestingly, I think long hours are something that is more of a myth than a reality. It really does depend on where you’re working and what you’re working on. I don’t tend to hear about so many people working late on a project day-in-day-out. In fact I think these days it’s frowned on for companies to demand ridiculous office hours. It also helps that technology has moved on enough so that you don’t need to be in the office 24/7.”
A modern working practice – 1960s style
It would be easy to claim that the IT industry is at last getting things right. Yet nearly 50 years ago, a British software company was pioneering what would now be seen as a modern working practice.
Dame Stephanie Shirley was one of the first female technology entrepreneurs; when she set up her company (which eventually became Xansa) in 1962, she employed only women.
”Women at that time weren’t expected to do anything outside of the family. The business world wasn’t expecting to see women around, so there was shock, if not awe, that a woman wanted to do something as serious as financial services software.
“
I decided that I was
going to front my
company by changing
my name from
Stephanie to ‘Steve’.
That at least got me
through the door...
”
I really struggled with the sexist conventions of the time and decided that I was going to front my company by changing my name from Stephanie to ‘Steve’. That at least got me through the door of companies I wanted to see. Once in, I had a good story to tell, and the orders started to come in. The majority of men in those days were pro-women in a sexist way but aggressive to those in senior positions. And everyone was suspicious of the part-time flexible home-working concept that we were pioneering.
We had the pick of the ‘women returners’- a generation of well-educated women who chose not to work full-time so the quality of the technical staff was superb. Thirteen years from our start up, Equal Opportunities legislation made positive discrimination illegal; so we started to employ men - if they were good enough!
Of course, it is extremely difficult to eliminate personal and institutional bias. Providing a supportive and comfortable environment, training and looking after the health and safety of staff will help businesses to succeed. Profits come when companies attract good people and keep them motivated.
The other thing that seems to put people off the tech industry is the idea that no one talks to each other and that projects are hampered by politics and power play. Unfortunately, this can be seen in any company and in any department. It isn’t something unique to software or the technology industry; it’s just given more bad press there than other places. Some companies actually get round this and enable employees to communicate more effectively by having people in a specific ‘communications strategy’ role.”
Having a role model, and being a role model
“
I’d like to see IT
becoming less about
‘heroic working hours’
and more about
sustained effort...
”
Database developer Gail Shaw MVP, one of the most highly respected experts on the SQLServerCentral forums, believes women in IT sometimes have to work harder to prove that they are competent in their field because ‘it’s assumed that they are not highly technical.’
“I’ve had people initially assume that I’m a project manager or from HR when I sit in meetings or interviews. I think it gets increasingly difficult the more competent someone gets. I’ve encountered people - fortunately in the minority - who feel that women don’t belong in IT, and feel threatened when there’s a woman who’s their technical equal or superior.
I’d say having a mentor is useful, but not essential. It’s certainly easier with a mentor who knows how things work and to guide and encourage you. I never had a real mentor and I made a few mistakes in the earlier days, though fortunately nothing serious. I think it’s important, and not just for women, to have someone to discuss long-term goals and options with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend, a colleague or a mentor. For those who don’t have a formal mentor, have a role-model.
IT is an industry that still demands long working hours, and often requires that one’s personal life be less important than the demands of the company. There are places that are an exception, but unfortunately they’re still the minority. In general I think women are less willing to tolerate that, and that’s not a bad thing. I’d like to see IT becoming less about ‘heroic working hours’ and more about sustained effort and a working environment that accepts that people have a life outside of work.”