Putting the IT in equality

Gender in IT should no longer be an issue, says Sara Yirrell

Sara Yirrell: What are the misconceptions of women in technology? That they are unable to handle anything more technical than a teapot?

I’m a woman and I work in IT. Well, not in a technical capacity, but I write about IT. So I suppose I qualify under that banner.
Does that make me something unusual? The answer is: I really don’t know.

However, when I see a press release entitled Women in IT, it makes me feel a little strange. As if it is something people should be amazed by.

A new initiative by the British Computer Society was launched last week to ‘break the misconceptions of women in technology’ and as a means of addressing the growing skills shortage by encouraging more females to work in the industry.

What are the misconceptions of women in technology? That they are unable to handle anything more technical than a teapot?

Surely these type of statements cause more problems and build something out of nothing?

Admittedly there are fewer women in IT than men, but it is not the only industry in which women are outnumbered by men. The media for example is mainly dominated by men – but I don’t recall seeing a release about women in media.

I think the days of IT being associated with spotty geeks in strange clothes are long gone, and it is an attractive career for both men and women.

As long as everyone is treated the same (and this is where some problems can arise in terms of equal pay), gender in a particular industry should not really be an issue anymore.

Sara Yirrell is editor of CRN – [email protected]