Keeping Women in the IT Industry

Studies prove that women possess outstanding communication and negotiation skills ? qualities desperately needed in the IT industry

The gender crisis in the information technology (IT) industry is getting worse  women remain the industry minority. Their presence continues to decline.
According to a recent Gartner report, women represent nearly 50 percent of the labor force, but their percentage in the IT workforce has dropped to around 25 percent.
The Gartner analysis of gender roles in IT revealed that women have superior communication and listening skills and are better than men at reinforcing collaboration.
The IT industry is in the midst of a transformation -; many of the skills required by IT departments today focus on areas like strategic planning, program management and vendor administration, rather than software and applications development.
As a result, softer communication and negotiation skills are becoming important. As this issue continues to impact the industry, IT departments need to promote more encouraging environments for women.
An unwelcoming culture and lack of mentors help bar women's success in career advancement. According to the "Women in Technology 2007" report, only 52 percent or respondents believed that their organizations offered favorable climates for women. Only 27 percent found formal mentoring and networking programs for women.
Some IT companies are seeking to make a positive impact in the workplace for women. Established in 1976, the company CA has become a leader in recognizing and encouraging the vital role that woman play in IT. Among the company's efforts is the global DigiGirlz program with Microsoft, which encourages young females to consider a technology career path.
CA has also established The Women's Executive Roundtable, a membership organization, which holds regular meetings for women executives in IT, allowing them to network and discuss industry and career issues.
Andy Goodman, executive vice president of worldwide human resources at CA, commented, "We are pleased with the progress we have made with our efforts in attracting and retaining women employees and are proud to have the representation on our executive team of three top females that trends ahead of most in IT where it is not unusual to have only one top female executive."
As CA's strong example reveals, if IT departments and organizations acknowledge the vital role women play in the industry and invest more in supporting them, the gender inequality may be reduced, leading to a better-balanced workforce in one of of the worlds top industries.