Changes needed to attract more women to IT sector: study

BYLINE: CBC News

Traditional approaches are not enough to attract and keep women in the information technology sector, a study from Pennsylvania State University concludes.

Women make up almost 60 per cent of the workforce, but account for only about a third of the IT workforce in the U.S., according to a university news release.

While the study results noted that women were more likely to be attracted to the IT sector because of job security and the likelihood of promotions, keeping them there requires a new approach, study spokesman Eileen Trauth told CBC News.

Recruiters and human resource departments need to look at other factors that become important to women over time, she said, such as job flexibility and accepting less money for increased time off.

Ninety-two women in positions ranging from upper-level managers to Web developers and IT administrators were surveyed for the paper - "What Do Women Want": An Investigation of Career Anchors among Women in the IT Workforce," - published by Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology.

Researchers asked the women for their views on their career choice in the IT industry, specifically on technical competence, managerial competence and organizational security. The study found that none of those anchors alone was a deciding factor in their career choice.

The most surprising outcome of the study, Trauth said, was that it showed that women's motivations for working in IT changed over time.

"Addressing women’s under-representation not only will help tackle the anticipated IT worker shortage but will help foster a diverse workforce, a cornerstone of both innovation and economic development," she said.