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Story URL: http://management.silicon.com/itpro/0,39024675,39165286,00.htm

Women abandoning tech jobs
And fewer choosing IT as a career...

By Steve Ranger

Published: Thursday 18 January 2007

The number of women choosing careers in IT continues to decline, with many put off by the long-hours culture and lack of flexible working.

Most damaging for the industry is the increasing number of experienced senior female execs that are abandoning technology. As these women in their 40s leave IT behind, they take with them vital experience and contacts, and also reduce the number of role models and mentors available for younger women in IT.

According to Carrie Hartnell, programme manager at industry trade group Intellect, only 16 per cent of tech workers are women, and even that meagre number is a drop from 18 per cent a couple of years ago.

And it's getting worse, she warned, which is "a very worrying statistic".

She added: "It's important to have diversity in the workforce."

Out of that 16 per cent, more than half (61 per cent) are at the database administrator level, which means few women are making it up the management ladder.

Hartnell told silicon.com: "From the research we've done there is still a feeling that the long-hours culture and the lack of understanding about flexible working has an impact."

As a result Intellect is asking members of the IT industry to participate in research examining the culture of their workplace and their career experiences.

Using the results of the research Intellect intends to create an 'action plan' to improve diversity in the sector. Focus groups will also be held to spot ways for companies to develop policies to help them recognise good practice within their own company and others.