Kids or computers? Female techies choose

Nearly three-quarters of female IT professionals with children believed the decision to have kids had adversely affected their career, according to a survey.

And almost half (48.3 per cent) of female IT professionals without children surveyed said their decision not to have kids was influenced by work-related choices, the survey of 200 IT pros by online recruiter theITjobboard.com found.

Almost two-fifths (39.1 per cent) of all female respondents said they would take a lower-paid job if it offered childcare facilities. But only 12.2 per cent of male and female respondents said their organisation provided childcare.

But Maggie Berry, UK communications director at female networking group Women in Technology, said at no point had anyone ever told her that they had not had children because of work.

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Berry added that the statistics could apply to any profession and that men would probably agree that having children has affected their careers in some way.

Flexible working, a macho culture and equal pay all need to be addressed if the IT industry is to attract more women, UK IT supplier body Intellect said earlier this year.

The gender gap extends to the payroll as a recent survey found half of women working in IT believe they are paid less than their male colleagues.

Conversely, the ideal boss of the future is 50 and female according BT-sponsored research.