IT proves to be a turnoff for women

Annette Presley

When Sydney consultant Maggie Alexander began her IT career 25 years ago, women filled about a quarter of all the information, communication and technology roles in Australia.

Now the percentage is lower rather than higher, she says, because the industry is failing to attract more women at schools.

"A lot of women stay away from science and technology-based courses because they think they are too hard for them," Alexander says.

And in a male-dominated industry, the role models for young women are few and far between.

"We've seen a decline in the number of women coming into the industry and also the position of women in the industry isn't as good as it could have been."

Alexander is one of a number of industry experts who agree that better marketing of computer science courses is the key to getting more women working in IT.

"If you come from industry and you explain to young women what the benefits are, they are often quite surprised," she says.

"They often don't get the right information from their schools about the kind of careers and variety of careers there are in IT."

As a founding member of Australian support group Females in Information Technology and Telecommunications, Alexander was in New Zealand recently to address the Computing Women Congress held at the University of Waikato.

The congress was an opportunity for women to discuss the issue "and then if they have the energy and the means to put some actions to that afterwards we should see some changes".

About 50 women attended the congress, which aimed to give women the chance to network with IT professionals and meet industry role models.

Google was among the congress' sponsors, and sent software engineer Neha Narula from San Francisco to make a keynote speech.

Alexander says the internet giant's involvement was a clear endorsement of the need to involve more women.

"It's a company saying, 'I want to put my money where my mouth is, I want to employ good people, I know I need to do something to attract good people and provide a forum for them'."

Women make up about 25 per cent of computer science students at Waikato University.

The number has not increased since the first congress was held last February, says Annika Hinze, the organiser of the event and a senior lecturer in computer science at the university.

Hinze was also an organiser of the Bremen Informatika Feminale conference from 2001 to 2003 before she moved to New Zealand.

The German conference was started in 1997 and helped to increase the number of women studying computer science at the University of Bremen from just 4 per cent to 40 per cent, she says.

But breaking down the barriers to an industry perceived as a male domain is not a quick fix.

"It took them [Bremen] over five years to see any difference," she says.

Compared with more traditional topics such as maths and English, computer science is a relatively new subject and is subconsciously being presented as a topic for boys.

"It's the way that it's taught. It's the environment that is presented in the sense of, 'Oh, the guys are really good at this', so women get the feeling they are not wanted there [and] this is not for them."

The computer industry is perceived not only as a domain for men, but also as one for geeks.

"And that's just off-putting for lots of students and females. They don't know there's more to it."

A pilot study begun after last year's congress aims to build a clear picture of women working in IT and the career plans of the next generation of female students.

Information compiled by Statistics New Zealand from the 2001 Census shows a polarised pattern of female representation in the IT sector.

Women make up 42 per cent of the total IT workforce, says Statistics NZ, but the variations by position are dramatic.

Data entry and desktop publishing roles are dominated by women, with 82 per cent and 72 per cent respectively.

At the other extreme, women accounted for only 11 per cent of systems technicians and 16 per cent of applications engineers.

Ironically, the low female participation in some segments could be boosting the job prospects for women who do choose such a career.

The women who attended the congress are some of the most desirable employees in New Zealand, says Sarah Lee, founder of Auckland-based IT recruitment company ITmaniacs.

Women applying for IT jobs are being snapped up by companies looking to improve the mix in their workforce, she says.

Men and women are equally capable of working in IT, but there are simply not enough trained women applying.

Yet despite a wide range of career options including engineering, computer science and communications, and strong demand from employers for female staff, the perception of the industry remains a male one.

* Women In Technology will hold lunchtime panel discussions in Auckland on March 8 and Wellington on March 10 with leading businesswomen to celebrate International Women's Day. High-profile speakers include Slingshot director Annette Presley and Estee Lauder chief executive Marie-Ann Billings.