Women work harder for job parity

Too many female IT workers are leaving the industry

Women working in the IT industry still feel they need to outperform their male counterparts to achieve the same level of success, according to an investigation by Computing.

The number of female IT workers is declining, representing just 16 per cent of the industry compared with 19 to 21 per cent in 2000, despite government and industry initiatives to attract women to the profession.

A woman needs to be demonstrably better than her male colleagues to succeed in the industry, says Catherine Doran, chief information officer at Network Rail.

‘I have worked in financial services, telecoms and now transport and it is the same issue in every sector, so it is a professional thing rather than a sector problem,’ said Doran.

Successful female role models is the solution, says Charmaine Egby, managing director of Research in Motion and organiser of the BlackBerry Women in Technology awards.

‘Over 27 per cent of women believe role models and mentors are fundamental to getting more women into IT, yet an overwhelming majority of those do not know where to find these role models,’ said Egby.

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