Waving the Flag for Women in ICT

The ACS has often discussed the need to attract more women into the ICT sector both as a way of addressing existing skills shortages and to provide greater balance in job roles and management approaches.

Even with the current talk of economic recession and potential job cuts, continuing demand for technology solutions to automate processes and drive productivity is likely to see the ICT sector bounce back faster than most.

Unfortunately, this industry has long suffered from a stigma of being male dominated and “nerdy”. This has made it less attractive to women, who mistakenly believe the ICT sector lacks opportunities for the kinds of relational roles they enjoy.

The result is a female participation rate of somewhere between 19 and 30 per cent, depending on who you ask. According to the ACS 2007 Employment Survey, 24 per cent of professionals in the ICT industry workforce are female and 76 per cent male, however data from the Department of Workplace Relations indicates that 19 per cent of ICT technical and professional roles are held by women.

Of perhaps greater concern is the rate at which women are deserting the industry. In 1996, women accounted for 36 per cent of students enrolled in ICT courses, but this figure dropped to just 22.6 per cent in 2003 – a fall of 13.4 per cent in seven years.

While the timing of the changes suggests the dotcom bust had a role to play here, there are also other factors keeping women away.

The latest ACS Women’s Survey revealed that a substantial percentage of women working in ICT still feel undervalued, have fewer career opportunities compared to men, and feel the need to achieve better work life balance.

How is it that 40 years after it became illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value, we still have 30 per cent of women working in this sector expressing concerns over equity of remuneration?

In one woman’s words, “I have 25 staff reporting to me. I oversee all operational ICT in this company of 60 sites, 240 servers and 1500+ end users. My last performance review rated me as “Exceeding Expectations” however my salary is less than a male colleague who looks after one database and one staff.”

According to another, “I took over from the previous IT manager (three years ago) and I am still payed (sic) at least $10,000 less than he was at the time of leaving.”

While the majority (70 per cent) of women were happy with their pay and working conditions, some reported a “jobs for the boys” mentality where promotion opportunities are discussed over after-work drinks to which they are either not invited or cannot attend because of family obligations.

The survey suggested that women are less likely than their male colleagues to ask for a salary increase and often possess fewer skills or confidence in negotiating favourable employment terms.

This is reflected in the low number of women holding senior ICT management or board director roles in Australian corporations and government departments, which limits our ability as a sector to respond effectively to the needs of the community.

Many of the women who completed the survey had substantial ICT experience. Twenty-four per cent had spent over 21 years in ICT, a third had between 11 and 20 years experience, 28 per cent had 6-10 years experience and only 17 per cent reported two years or less spent in ICT.

The fact that a whopping 28 per cent of ACS female members took the time to complete the online questionnaire suggests these issues are high on their agenda. That makes them important for us as an industry.

The survey was developed and conducted by Dr Leonie Warne and Susan Bandias, two senior ICT professionals and members of ACS-W, the Board representing the interests of women in ICT.

The ACS-W Board is now exploring recommendations for supporting women in the ICT workplace, including mentoring; providing affordable and accessible training; developing and promoting successful and flexible working arrangements; enhancing networking focused at women; developing partnerships, creating positive images of women in ICT; and developing initiatives targeted at new graduates, migrants, care-giving mothers and older women, as these groups face additional challenges.

We have a responsibility as an industry and a profession to provide equal opportunities for all workers, regardless of gender, and to fairly recognise the contribution each individual makes.

As CEO Westpac, David Morgan, once said, “The company that helps give women control over their own lives and helps them with the things that are not working for them, by providing more flexibility, more networking opportunities, a better work environment and more challenging work, will see more women stay. It’s not a compliance issue; it’s not a diversity issue, and it’s not a social responsibility issue. Yes, it’s the right thing to do, but it’s also the strategic thing to do.”

The ICT sector must work harder to create working conditions and support structures that enable women to achieve at their full potential, thereby attracting more women into the profession. This is the only way we can hope to truly achieve our own potential as an industry.

Kim Denham is Chief Executive Officer of the ACS. See www.acs.org.au for more information.