You've got fem@il: sisters are doing it for themselves

A woman has been made chief executive of one of the world's largest computer corporations. Does this mean the glass ceiling has finally been shattered? Alana Juman Blincoe reports.

It's the talk of the moment - Hewlett Packard has finally filled its vacant chief executives post. True, chief executives and managing directors are appointed all the time, and when it's by a leading company, there's often a horrified gasp or - more rarely - delight at who has taken over the helm.

But this time, what has really made the headlines is that the person appointed chief executive of this corporate giant is a woman. With only a few months to go before the next millennium, having lived through the technologically advanced century of the telephone and motorcar, aeroplane and space rocket - as well as the humble computer - it still comes as a surprise when a woman is appointed head of a multibillion pound IT organisation.

Some industry observers believe that Carly Fiorina's appointment as chief executive of HP backs the argument that women are now on an equal footing with men when it comes to the career ladder. Others say the fact that the posting has caused such a stir reflects the reality that this is still an industry where a glass ceiling exists for women.

But how do women really view their positions in an industry that's still very much dominated by men, and do they really believe some posts are not open to them simply because of their gender? Are there still undercurrents of sexism, or has the industry emerged as a sector where anyone can realise their aspirations of equal opportunities, regardless of whether they are male or female?

Catherine Pullan, UK country manager at Proxim, believes the glass ceiling has been shattered: "It's all to do with attitude. I don't feel I've been held back at any point in my career because of my gender. Women are given a fair crack at the whip and if they feel there is a barrier, then more often than not it's self-imposed."

Clare Curtis, skills manager at Microsoft, says: "IT is a great industry to work in and there has been a positive shift in attitudes towards women in the past 10 years. Generally, it's UK employment practice, not just that of the IT industry, that's caused problems for women. But I've never felt I've been treated differently because of my gender. Promotion and such is down to the competency of the individual."

This view is echoed by Mandy Birtles, marketing manager of Datrontech: "I can see there's been a big change. I've never had any inhibitions in my career development. In the past there's been a glass ceiling, but with a bit of hammering here and there I think it's now gone."

Gayle Kemper, senior vice president and general manager for worldwide channel sales at Computer Associates, says: "Companies in the US look at their need for good talent and thinking in individuals. Terrific demand for IT has created more opportunities for women in the senior ranks of companies, whether big or small. North America has been very aggressive in pushing women into management positions."

Being a woman can also have its advantages in the industry, believes Julie Meyer, assistant director of New Media Investors and co-founder of internet community First Tuesday. "People tend to remember me, probably because there are only a handful of us in the venture capital business.

Sometimes, because men don't think about competing directly with women, you can get information from them by catching them off guard," she adds.

Julie Hunter, education manager at Ilion Faculty, agrees. "A lot of men end up telling me things they wouldn't tell others. Of course, I don't abuse that trust. A lot of the younger guys in the industry have different social backgrounds, but the men aged 40-plus are probably a bit more trusting than they should be. And now and then I can get away with certain things because I'm a woman."

But the industry mustn't pat itself on the back - yet. Although women generally feel their careers aren't hampered by gender, there are issues that indicate women continue to face inequalities and sexist attitudes.

Some believe there are still barriers to promotion. One woman, who asks to remain anonymous, claims: "There is a glass ceiling - I've banged my head a couple of times. But I think it's because the boardroom is still full of older men. They're concerned that they won't know how to relate to me. As a woman, I think we over-compensate for certain things."

It's a point that finds favour with Sarah Fisher, enterprise services marketing manager at Sun Microsystems. "I've done well at my job, but I've always been aware that I've had to work that much harder than male colleagues. Some men aren't very good at what they do. Although they know this, they can convince other men to support what they're doing - women don't do that. But I think men are backing down and finding their positions are shifting."

She adds: "There are times when I face a stupid attitude from men who think marketing is all about being fluffy and doing glossies. It's annoying, but I don't spend a lot of time reflecting on it."

Meyer admits to cases of inappropriate comments. "Once, an important client was due to arrive the next day and a male colleague said to me that I had better make sure my lipstick was on right. I just tend to shrug off things like that with humour."

But despite these age old problems and the fact that a majority of women in the industry retain a positive outlook, there is a glaring shortage of women in executive positions.

"There's also a lack of women in the more technical jobs," says Curtis.

"The ratio of women and men at Microsoft is 50:50, yet if you broke it down in the more technical areas, I'm sure the split would be different."

"Finding senior women in the industry isn't easy," admits Pullan, while Hunter says: "There are many women in sales, marketing and management, but on the technical side, it's difficult to find any. It so happens that the people attending the courses we run are mostly men. There are some women, but no more than about 15 per cent.

"We are running courses for IT professionals and offer certification for Microsoft engineers - maybe it's a career women don't want to enter.

Perhaps they feel there is a barrier. In sales and marketing, women are very successful indeed, but there are hardly any female consultants."

She adds: "Maybe there aren't enough women on the courses because they aren't being put on them. It could be the case that a company has an equal split of women and men, but more men are being technically trained up. But I don't know because I only see them when they arrive here."

These aren't just vague observations. A report last autumn by The Foresight ITEC Panel found there is a lack of balance between the sexes in IT. The panel is concerned the industry will be inhibited by long-term skills shortages and says the UK can address the situation by better utilising a vital section of its workforce, namely women.

The report throws up a series of interesting figures. It states that the ITEC sector is one of the country's most important industries, contributing six per cent of the UK GDP, a figure estimated to rise in the next two decades to 15 per cent.

The report also refers to the findings of the 1996 New Earnings Survey (NES), which concluded that there are at least 100,000 electronic engineers and technicians and 400,000 computer professionals employed in the UK.

If the projected growth rates were to be accomplished, these numbers would need to at least double over the next two decades.

It goes on to state that recent estimates have put the current deficit of skilled staff within the IT sector alone at between 50,000 and 100,000 - representing a shortfall of up to 10 per cent. Consequently, companies are facing recruitment and retention difficulties.'

Yet, despite this skills crisis, the panel found that women account for only 19 per cent of computer professionals and a meagre five per cent of the electronics profession, according to the NES. And within the IT sector as a whole, women only account for 24 per cent of the workforce (NES, June 1998), a figure which has dropped from 29 per cent (NES, 1994).

The problem has been exacerbated by the very low and declining percentage of women taking computer science and electronics at degree level.

Compared with other countries, the UK is lagging behind. The report says in the European Union, the UK has the lowest proportion of female IT professionals - lower even than Portugal and Spain. In countries such as Singapore, there is a 50:50 split.

The ITEC panel concludes: "It will be near impossible to meet the future skill requirements of business, both short and long term, without substantial increase in female participation in the computing professions."

So why is there a lack of women in senior positions in IT, if there is no longer a glass ceiling in existence? Carole Elliot, deputy head of the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) unit at the DTI, says: "The government admits that meeting the skill requirements of business without increasing the number of women in these industries will be difficult, if not impossible. And the problem is made worse because it is such a fast moving industry.

"But we note that women are leaving universities with very good degrees, although they don't appear to be entering the sectors for which they are qualified."

An image problem about the IT industry persists. There is a perception that an IT technician is a strange man who wears a white coat or an anorak with sandals. There are no positive role models out there for female graduates or school leavers. Therefore, the sector appears a bit of a turn-off.

But opinion seems to be divided among the women actually working in IT as to whether or not the shortage of females is down to the sector's image problem. Curtis claims to have first-hand experience of this. "Women outside this sector perceive it as a geeky industry," she says. "An article in Vogue recently listed what is seen as the top 10 careers for young women. PR and marketing came first, while IT came last. Not too long ago, I went back to my all-girls school to talk about my job. When I talked about design and marketing, the students were surprised."

Curtis adds: "There's a lack of understanding of what sort of jobs can and can't be had in IT. Girls will be coming out of school computer literate, but they need role models now."

But Meyer believes the geeky image of IT is disappearing with the internet onslaught. She says: "I don't feel I have to be an ambassador for others.

The internet is a revolution - everyone knows about it, it's trendy and exciting. I'm sure that IT is beginning to shake off this image problem."

Kemper agrees. "You can't do anything nowadays without the internet and ecommerce creeping in - it's in your face all the time. Women are aware that technology can bring fresh opportunities with it and they want it for themselves. Technology today is so much more approachable that I'm really surprised IT is still perceived as geeky by some women."

Yet there remains the fact that the recruitment rates of women in IT is not as high as they should be and that women offer an untapped skilled workforce. Some observers believe the policies of companies should be more family friendly and that although women are enabled to return to their jobs after maternity leave, some firms need to be even more flexible.

"At a previous company where I worked, I sat in a meeting - the only woman there - discussing the promotion of another woman," Hunter recalls.

"The majority didn't want to give her promotion on the basis that she had just got married, was 33 years old, so would naturally want to start a family."

Fortunately, such antiquated attitudes are fast disappearing. The feeling among women in IT that things are generally improving will prevail, but there's still a long way to go yet.