Female interest in IT stops at the workplace

Young women are interested in technology but need more inspiration to make a career of it

Ninety per cent of girls aged 11 to 16 think technology is cool, but are not being inspired to take the interest into their professional lives, according to a report by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM).

While 38 per cent of female respondents said they talked about technology in their daily lives, only 28 per cent had considered a career in the IT industry, compared with 52 per cent of boys.

More than half (55 per cent) of the girls said there should be more inspirational business role models and fewer celebrity idols. This figure rose to 71 per cent among 14-to-17-year olds and 73 per cent blamed this imbalance on their reluctance to develop a career in technology.

It is up to the industry to do something about this and promote itself more effectively, said Maggie Philbin, former presenter of the BBC science show Tomorrow’s World.

”Never underestimate the power of role models; if young women can see a career path which has been enjoyable and rewarding for another, they are more likely to follow it themselves," she said.

"It’s so frustrating to see teenagers using technology naturally and creatively, seemingly unaware that they could play a key role in shaping the way we use technology in the future."

Young women should be offered these examples when they are considering their futures, said Charmaine Eggberry, vice president and managing dDirector of RIM in Europe, and creator of the BlackBerry Women & Technology Awards.

“The technology industry and current employees of the sector need to work together to highlight the great opportunities that technology jobs can provide, " she said.

"It is also important to create and celebrate female role models within the technology industry and give young women who are choosing their career paths, access to their inspirational stories."