Help Women Get Back on the IT Track

Almost every sector of high-tech is booming and those upward trends look to continue for quite some time, but one group seems to be trailing a bit behind the curve. Despite the growth in numbers, the percentage of women in  IT (compared with men) has been in a decline over the past several years.

Research from the National Center for Women & Information Technology found that female IT industry employment reached its high point in 1991 at just 36 percent of the workforce. By 2009, that number dropped to 25 percent, and that negative trend shows no signs of changing. The latest numbers show a significant disparity in the number of undergraduate computer science degrees going to women— just 18 percent in 2009—compared to men. That’s especially discouraging when women garnered 57 percent of all undergraduate degrees that year.

Experts point out a number of reasons for this decline, including unconscious bias, gender pay gaps, the lack of role models and mentors, poor supervisory relationships and competing responsibilities.  While each may play a part in the diminishing number of women in IT, one thing is clear: the industry needs more female involvement. At a time when women are beginning to assume IT leadership positions, their scarcity at lower-levels is sure to catch up in a few years and counter all their gains. That loss will affect everyone in the industry, reducing the diversity of the workforce as well as the creative ideas and viewpoints that come with it.

That’s why CompTIA created the Advancing Women in IT Community (AWIT). This new member-driven group is committed to empowering women with the knowledge and skills needed to help them build successful IT careers. AWIT will serve as a vital information resource, provide mentorship and networking opportunities for its members, and inspire the next generation of female IT leaders. Initiatives and programs will be a key focus of their activities, as will promoting legislation that helps improve the IT industry opportunities for women.

The CompTIA Advancing Women in IT Community is already off to a great start, with members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of its founders, interest in the group is building quickly, with a wide range of individuals with a variety of backgrounds— including men concerned with creating a more diverse IT workforce.

Chair of the new community is long-time industry advocate Sandy Ashworth, global director of channel relations and warranty for Unisys Corp. With the added assistance of vice chair Jean Mork Bredenson, president of SERVICE 800, the group is sure to start off with a flurry of activities. Their first face-to-face meeting will take place at the upcoming CompTIA Annual Member Meeting, April 10^th-12^th in Chicago.

Want to learn more about the CompTIA Advancing Women in IT Community (and yes, men are welcome to join, too)? Check out the March 14th webinar, “Insights from a Leader and Her Path to Success” with Marci Meaux, vice president of Cisco Systems’ sales enablement project and ACT, or get more details from the community website.

OR…you can listen to my recent interview with community chair Sandy Ashworth to get a better understanding of the group’s objectives and details on some of their upcoming projects.