ISSUES - Sisters are doing IT for themselves

Are attitudes changing for the better in the IT industry or is it merely a case of not so little women these days?

Fortunately for women, the IT industry is experiencing a skillsit merely a case of not so little women these days? shortage and there has been no better time to be judged on what you can do rather than your gender or how you look. Yet women are still struggling to achieve parity with men and are conspicuous by their absence from senior level IT positions. The glass ceiling is still firmly in position. Even the existence of a group called Women in IT (WIT) indicates that we are some way off a level playing field.

One perfectly legitimate argument is that there are less women in IT because there are less women in the workforce overall. According to some statistics, only 20 per cent of the UK workforce is female, compared with an average of 39 per cent in the rest of Europe, 45 per cent in the US and 55 per cent in Singapore. So, for every four men at work there is only one woman. IT is having to compete with industries which are seen as more sympathetic and attractive to women such as media, retailing and the caring professions.

Young women at sixth-form level are rejecting the choice of a career in IT, even though it offers an attractive salary. Yet university statistics show women are turning their backs on IT-oriented courses.

Therefore, IT starts out with a smaller percentage of women in the workforce.

Of those that do opt for a career in IT, most go into the marketing and management side rather than the technical. This may change as the training and recruitment agencies concentrate on targeting women. Most women who work in IT have drifted into it after beginning their careers in other sectors.

Part of the problem is that many women are put off by the industry's image. IT is perceived as masculine, nerdish and dull. That may be true, but whether there are more sexist and prejudiced men in IT than in any other industry is a moot point, and it is not the same question as whether an ambitious and talented women can achieve the same as an equally qualified man. The consensus seems to be that not only can a woman get as far as she wants in IT, but that being female is actually an advantage - and if you have an advantage, why not use it?

It is hard to gauge accurately the level of gender prejudice in the IT industry because of the constant underlining of the myths. Research for this article uncovered stories told by men about women whose performance changed on certain days of the month ('we kept a record') and of women who were strident and aggressive.

Comments like these say more about the men who make them than about women.

Rosalind Hopewell, manager of European business development and strategic alliances for Software Artistry, says that what is seen as aggressive and negative in a woman is considered assertive and a positive attribute in a man.

Hopewell says she has found some men are intimidated by her purely for gender-based reasons. But, she says: 'If you are interested in the work and have ambitions, your gender will not affect your career unless you let it.'

According to Hopewell, to talk broadly about sexism in the IT industry is generalist. 'There are definitely areas which are female-dominated, such as helpdesks, which grew out of the receptionist's role,' she says.

'There have always been women in PR and marketing, too, because they were seen as jobs that girls do best. In those areas, men are in the minority and there are plenty of senior women.'

She agrees that female programmers and technical experts are rare, but says this may have something to do with gender make-up.

George Shaw, managing director of media communications consultancy Joslin Shaw, agrees that there are gender differences. 'The nursery rhyme about boys liking slugs, snails and puppy dog tails, and girls liking sugar and spice, holds a lot of truth,' he says. 'Like the book says, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Like it or not, there are fundamental psychological and physiological differences which mean they excel in different areas.'

Shaw supports the view that the gender difference can work to women's advantage. He says: 'Not only are women not held back in the IT industry, but they can do better simply because there are less of them. A self-confident woman can go a lot further than a man of equal calibre.'

However, he says, the trouble is that a large proportion of women in IT are less self-confident and less competitive than their male counterparts - and they don't make as much noise.

In Hopewell's view, once a woman decides she wants to succeed at a certain IT job, there is no reason why she cannot be successful. 'Gender has never held me back,' she says, 'nor have I experienced real prejudice.' She concedes that good looks can be helpful, though: 'Women definitely have to put more effort into their appearance and they have to be smartly turned out, even if they are not good looking. Men can get away with more.'

Linda Wright, a consultant at UK CMG, agrees. 'It's certainly not a bad thing to be a woman in the IT industry,' she says. 'You have to be an individual to succeed, and being a woman can be an advantage.' However, she says, most men in IT and customer businesses are intelligent and not likely to be gender prejudiced: 'It is worse in other industries where attitudes are far more entrenched and men and women are more old-fashioned.

At least in IT you are generally dealing with bright people who are forward looking.'

Hopewell recalls only two instances in the past 10 years when the gender issue raised its head. One case she ignored, and the problem went away, while the other she tackled head-on. 'There was a confrontation in which the matter was aired and resolved,' she says.

The reason why women are under-represented in IT, says Hopewell, is that they are more concerned about maintaining a life outside the office. 'Men are more willing to live and breathe their job, while women like to do more with their lives. This may mean some get passed over for top jobs, but they have more fulfilled lives. So who's right?'

According to Shaw, location is another important factor - in London and other cities there is less overt prejudice. 'Companies in the wilds can be politically incorrect and get away with it,' he says.

Patricia Garth at capacity planning software house Metron Technology says the size of organisation also makes a difference. 'We are a small company with a flat hierarchy and gender is not an issue in the selection of staff or the working atmosphere,' she says. Metron Technology has always employed more women than men. Garth herself has been a programmer since the sixties. While attitudes have changed, she says she is often treated differently because she is a woman. 'But that is not necessarily a disadvantage,' she insists.

Janet Stack and Niki Panteli, of the Computing Science Department at the University of Glasgow, have produced a paper on women in IT in which they conclude that the percentage of females in the workforce is dropping.

However, they also point out that the IT industry has various discreet sectors which attract the genders in different ways. 'Help desks, administration and support functions often have more women,' says Stack. 'But the important thing to note is that the presence of women declines as you move up the hierarchy. Only 7 per cent of IT departments are headed by women.'

She takes the view that women are disadvantaged by gender, but things are changing slowly. 'The low representation of women in management might be because those jobs are associated with years of experience, and there just hasn't been a pool of experienced senior women available. That is something which is changing,' she says.

Gail Bowen, managing director of Microplanning, has been with the company 14 years. She says she has noticed a change in attitudes, although that could be a natural part of her getting older.

'When I started, I had a selling role and would notice, particularly on exhibition stands, that male potential customers would not want to talk to me but would talk to my male colleagues. Now that doesn't happen,' Bowen says. She believes some women carry chips about gender prejudice which make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. 'They dress in a way that prevents them being taken seriously, or they behave badly and then complain if they are passed over for promotion.'

She says all successful women take the view, 'prejudice, what prejudice?' and work on the basis that it does not exist. 'You either don't see it or use it to your advantage.' She says she has been lucky, but admits: 'You make your own luck in this world. You have to be pragmatic and flexible, and the most important thing is to have confidence in your own abilities.

If you think you can do it you will, and the gender of those around you is not a big issue. On the other hand, if you see prejudice then it will be there.'

THE POSITIVE SIDE OF NORTHERN MAN

Of all the stereotypes, Northern man is probably the most likely to be prejudiced against women, especially in IT, which is traditionally seen as male-dominated. Barry Jones is from Harrogate and based in Leeds.

As managing director of electronic trading company ubik.net, he is convinced that gender will not be an issue in recruiting staff.

'We are going to be recruiting all types of people and I can tell you categorically that gender will not be an influencing factor,' he says.

'We will be looking for the best person for the job.' If anything, he says, he will err on the side of positive discrimination 'because it is often beneficial these days to have women in senior posts'.

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE

Jones adds: 'We are launching some radical electronic store products which will transform the concept of electronic trading with some advanced push technology, and I don't think the issue of gender comes into whether people can do a good job in developing, marketing and selling it.'

Jones thinks it is important to have a balance of genders, which can produce a happy and stimulated work environment. 'Too many men and attitudes can start to emerge, but the same happens when there are too many women.

'Whether a group of people gels depends on the combination of individual personalities.

Gender is an inevitable and unavoidable part of that, but recognising that fact is a long way from being prejudiced. It would be a short-sighted manager who passed over a woman for promotion purely on the grounds of her gender. In fact, if they employ a woman, they are likely to get someone more dedicated, more conscientious and more likely to punch harder.'

CONTACTS

Joslin Shaw 0171 226 9177

Metron Technology 01823 259231

Microplanning 0117 950417

Software Artistry 01628 508000

University of Glasgow 0141 330 6493

UK CMG 01635 32338.