Why the Number of Women in IT Is Decreasing
Published: January 15, 2007
At its Fall Symposium last October,
Gartner braved an interesting and controversial topic, examining the reports that women are reportedly entering the information technology workforce in fewer and fewer absolute numbers and in fewer numbers than the decrease of women in the workforce in general is showing up in other professions. Why this is happening, and why this is a serious problem that companies need to address?
As a woman who cut her professional teeth in the IT world at the same time that Helen
Reddy was singing "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar," I was immensely interested in
Gartner's findings and assertions. I was also skeptical, expecting to read a laundry list of politically correct findings and suggestions. But that presentation, followed by my conversation with Mark
Raskino, a
Gartner fellow and research vice president who co-authored the report with two female co-workers, was anything but politically correct.
To begin with, I asked
Raskino what prompted
Gartner to pursue this study. The title of the presentation, "Women and Men in IT: Breaking Through Sexual Stereotypes," is not one I would have expected as part of the research agenda at a major industry research firm.
Raskino explains, however, that in
Gartner's mainstream research the company traditionally looks at all of the "high probability events," by which
Gartner means those issues that have both a high probability and a major impact. Sometimes, however, there are issues bubbling under the surface that are relatively low probability but also have major impact. "There was a lot of internal debate about those issues that we were missing, and this topic came to the foreground because it was a simple juxtaposition of something that many of us had become aware of at the same time."
The raw research numbers presented by
Gartner are fairly dramatic. The number of women in IT, as measured as a percentage of the total IT personnel pool, declined from 42 percent in 1996 to 32.4 percent in 2004--with no noticeable progress in the number of women in professional or management ranks.
In the first place,
Raskino says, the direction in which corporate IT seems to be moving is one that is more about information and relationships and less about technology. The needed skill sets to accommodate this change in emphasis are those that "you would typically associated with the female population" such as language skills, communication skills, and relationship building.
At the same time, however,
Gartner was seeing more and more data from its own research and from the research of others that the number of women in IT is decreasing, and that fewer women are electing computer science programs in college. The research shows,
Raskino says, that this is happening the world over. "I'm really struck by the fact that this is global. There was no company that has come back to us and said, 'our country is different.' Even in Sweden, which is an archetype of strong social approaches to equality issues, the numbers of women in IT are declining."
Looking then at the direction of corporate IT as a whole together with the belief that skill sets typically associated with women are increasingly needed by IT,
Gartner delved into the topic and reported its findings.
Raskino is quick to point out that the company is "not coming at this from the standpoint of right or wrong; that's not what we do at
Gartner. What we are saying is that, in the next three to five years in terms of delivering what IT departments are expected to deliver, the gender imbalance is going to put these departments in a really weak position unless they do something about it and address it."
According to
Gartner, the business and IT drivers for the 10-year period from 2006 to 2016 will be:
Consumer
centricity, emphasizing customer experience, usability, convenience, and productivity.
Global reach, emphasizing coordination of services, competence, and perspectives.
Extended value chains, emphasizing collaboration, alliances, intangibles, and diverse stockholders.
Innovation, emphasizing imagination and execution for products, services, and business. Many of these traits are typically associated more with women than with men.
Gartner suggests that there is a need to break through some of the standard approaches to attracting women to IT and accommodating the needs of women.
Raskino suggests that companies need to do some "radical thinking" to address the problem. This radical thinking makes the topic controversial because it requires that employers look at the male and female populations as being different and as having different strengths. "That is difficult because in gender politics, you are supposed to treat everyone as equal."
Psychologists have, by and large, agreed that there are differences between the general characteristics of men and women. Translated into the world of IT,
Gartner says, that means women are better at listening with both the left brain and the right brain; this has implications for roles such as business analyst and team leader. Similarly, women are better at a range of language skills and they score better on social skills and understanding the viewpoints of others. Men, on the other hand, tend to be better at complex mental visualization and pattern spotting, which has implications for certain aspects of engineering roles. Men also take more risks and are happier doing so openly--characteristics that make them more suited to innovation and competitiveness.
These generalizations, however, are just that: generalizations. And there is no question that each man and each woman must be treated and assessed individually, since there is a wide variety of traits and personalities. But, generalizations can and are made with some validity. Gartner, then, is saying that companies must break from the notion that men and women are completely equal. This may not be a very popular idea.
Are these differences nature or nurture? Although the psychologists are nearly unanimous on the question of whether or not there are differences between the two sexes, they are less clear on whether these characteristics are genetically hard-wired or a result of our surroundings, cultures, and upbringings. Gartner, wisely, does not get into that debate, choosing instead simply to point out that the differences do exist and need to be acknowledged and dealt with.
At the live presentation in October, Gartner asked the members of its audience whether or not they believed there were significant differences between the capabilities of men and women. Half of the audience said yes, and half said no. "There is something in office politics that wants to say that everybody is the same. We're in controversial territory here," Raskino admits. "But it's important to get into that territory because unless companies realize this now, they won't take the sorts of actions necessary to change the gender balance in IT, and we know that will serve them badly."
He points to things like the increasingly social nature of the Internet, of information management (e.g., the percentage of female librarians to male librarians), and of the importance to companies of building and managing relationships with vendors in the supply chain and at outsourcers, not to mention managing the interactions between IT and the business side, which is becoming more and more pivotal to the success of IT. "Again," Raskino emphasizes, "all of these things point to the need for more 'female characteristics.'"
Why are women seemingly dropping out of the IT world? In some cases, the profession has become viewed as "a boy thing" for computer nerds and geeks (male). This impression causes girls to eliminate consideration of a job in IT as soon as the early teens, which is when, according to Raskino, research shows that many girls are beginning to choose their career paths--or at least eliminate some of the possibilities.
What can be done? How can IT attract more women into its ranks? In the United Kingdom, Raskino reports, government agencies have been encouraging the educational system to build after-school programs--computer clubs for girls on their own, away from boys--to change that perception.
Some women in Australia have put together an organization that promotes "The IT Screen Goddess Initiative" complete with its own Website (Caution: I rate this Website "PG"). The group's major project is the publication of an "IT Goddess" calendar that rivals the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. The stated purpose of the calendar is "to dispel the 'geeky' image of IT and the perception that IT is not a desirable career for women, by providing a life expose of real women with unreal careers--all living and loving IT."
The IT Goddesses are very explicit about their goals:
Smash through the perception of the geeky technologist
Put a spotlight on the industry and increase national interest and awareness in careers in information technology
Raise awareness of the diversity of women in IT
Raise money for non-profit groups that run initiatives to encourage females to take up technology studies and to enter technology careers
Promote organizations and companies involved in and supporting IT through sponsorship/promotional opportunities on each page of the calendar
Raskino calls this Website "a shocker," but points out that this is the extent to which some have gone to promote the acceptability of IT as a career for women. Even if the examples from the UK and Australia given here and others are successful in increasing the interest of young girls in pursuing a profession in IT, it won't solve the problem of the declining numbers of women in IT for several years. More immediately, companies can look to the number of women who left the workforce (many of whom lost jobs during the dot.com bust) and take initiatives to draw them back in. The best way to do this, he suggests, is by getting away from the model that everyone needs to be physically present in the office, and build work-from-home programs. "That's one way to pull back the self-excluded work force and find and use people who already have the skills to fill the gaps."
How can companies review and change their strategies to ensure that they have the right skills moving forward? The old model, Raskino points out, called for companies to "get more women into the game" by promoting women, extinguishing stereotypes, changing the culture, using human resources policies to level the playing field, waiting for women to catch up, and trying to get people to change how they think and feel. Instead, companies should "change the game" by educating people and learning the facts, focusing on the six critical competencies for all employees, and rethinking the management perspective. Designing work teams that emphasize group dynamics over leadership centralization is also important. Well-balanced work, mixed-gender teams will give the best results.
Overall, then, Gartner recommends that IT managers need to have the courage to change the game. IT leaders should exploit gender differences--an approach that will deliver better results than trying to change stereotypes. HR leaders should "design practices and policies for the stereotyped world--not for the way you wish it were." And CIOs should design IT teams, work, opportunities, and management/process platforms for a stereotyped world.
Above all, Raskino suggests that "we have to stop being locked into the thinking that we have to have equality in everything. Rather, we need to recognize and exploit those differences and stop pretending that everyone is the same."
Obviously many of you who browse my journal have long time ambitions of travelling in deep space, the worry about fuel types and propulsion techniques is the main obstacle of getting a vehicle that is suitable for deep space travel, a women is a perfect way to describe torque capability in space.
http://www.mofosex.com/videos/26397/super-hot-blonde-casting.html
Isley brothers / For the love of you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVrZdAicYZg/
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Moving around the world with love is an easy thing to do, when it is reciprocated it is something that people could build on, platforms of respect are gathered when people comprehend the situation, and love isn't ever lost when the field is learnt, it becomes a home, a home that grows. With the recent work that I have accomplished I have learnt that when I thought I knew my perimeters, still they largen, I guess that jobs are like rocket paths, and treating them with respect while learning what they result with is something that as a man and for women aswell we are all still learning.
Al Green / How can you mend a broken heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sr-3VwUWS0/
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How to Ask a Woman for Her Number
Looking for the best way to ask a woman for her number? These tips will help you approach women with confidence, and increase your chances of getting the contact you're dying for.
Instructions
Don't ask a woman for her number if you can offer her yours.
~~DON'T~~
Modern dating poses a great risk for single women. Many are rightfully concerned for their safety. When you ask a woman for her number, you put her in an uncomfortable situation where she is forced to choose between her security and her interest in getting to know you better. Even if she is interested, she may refuse your request.
Instead, offer her your number and give her a reason to call. Tell her you would love to meet for coffee and encourage her to call you when she has some time. You won't get the instant gratification of an immediate positive or negative response, but you will increase the chances that, eventually, she will be open to phone conversations, and possibly dating.
~~DON'T BE TOO SMOOTH~~
Sure, practice is a great way to make sure you don't put your foot in your mouth when talking to a woman you'd like to date, but too much preparation can give her the wrong impression. A slick performance tells a woman two things: first, that you do this sort of thing with women all the time, and second, that you're not really interested in her, but in scoring yet another set of digits. It is essential to strike a balance between readiness and spontaneity.
Carry a pen and a scrap of paper with you to either take her number or write your number down for her. Do not have your contact information written down before you even ask a woman for her number. Also, don't pull out a notebook or an address book already filled with numbers. To add to the illusion of 'chance', look around for a napkin or writing utensil in your surroundings. You want her to think you don't make a habit of exchanging numbers with women.
~~EMAIL ALTERNATIVE~~
Offer her your email address. Email might annoy you, but it's a comfortable precursor to live conversation for many women. Many women are eager to learn more about a man before committing to a date or even a cup of coffee. A few written exchanges may give the insight into your personality she needs to take the next step.
'How to ask a woman for her number' is not the question. 'How to get her number' is.
~~PURPOSE~~
Have a reason. This was mentioned in the first step, but is worth repeating. Providing her with a valid reason to contact you will diffuse her anxiety about getting involved with a new man. It will also give you both something to talk about when she reaches out to contact you. The more practical and valid the reason, the more likely she is to call. For instance, if you're offering help with a problem or requesting her assistance a hesitant woman will be more likely to call than if you are simply asking her out for a drink.
Read more: How to Ask a Woman for Her Number eHow.com
The Stylistics / You make me feel brand new
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu1Ezr1YEoY&feature=related/
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Testing the Limits of Where Humans Can Live
(Feb. 21, 2011) — On an isolated segment of islands in the Pacific Ring of Fire, residents endure volcanoes, tsunamis, dense fog, steep cliffs and long and chilly winters.
Sounds homey, huh?
At least it might be for inhabitants of the Kuril Islands, an 810-mile archipelago that stretches from Japan to Russia. The islands, formed by a collision of tectonic plates, are nearly abandoned today, but anthropologists have learned that thousands of people have lived there on and off as far back as at least 6000 B.C., persevering despite natural disasters.
"We want to identify the limits of adaptability, or how much resilience people have," said Ben Fitzhugh, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Washington. "We're looking at the islands as a yardstick of humans' capacity to colonize and sustain themselves."
Understanding what made residents stay and how they survived could inform how we adapt to modern vulnerabilities, including climate change. The findings also have implications for how we rebound from contemporary catastrophes, such as the Indonesian tsunami in 2004, hurricanes Katrina and Rita and last year's earthquake in Haiti.
Fitzhugh is leading an international team of anthropologists, archaeologists, geologists and earth and atmospheric scientists in studying the history of human settlement on the Kuril Islands.
The team's findings will be discussed Feb. 20 during a lecture, Scales of Vulnerability and Resilience in Human Settlement of the Kuril Islands, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
The scientists are studying islands in the central portion of the Kurils, from Urup Island in the south to Onekotan Island in the north -- about 75 percent of the island chain. During three expeditions, they've found small pit houses, pottery, stone tools, barbed harpoon heads and other remnants of the islanders' fishing and foraging lifestyle.
The scientists believe that human settlements existed in three different waves, the earliest in 6000 B.C., the most recent in 1200 A.D.
Fitzhugh finds evidence that following volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, people left the settlements but eventually returned. Fitzhugh and his research team have found that mobility, social networks and knowledge of the local environment helped indigenous people survive.
"Having relatives and friends on other Kurils meant that, when something disastrous happened locally, people could temporarily move in with relatives on nearby islands," he said.
Understanding the local environment also helped people survive the persistently foggy, dark and chilly environment. Since fog can shroud the islands, residents couldn't navigate between islands by simply pointing their boats toward destinations. Fitzhugh and his collaborators suspect that indigenous Kurilians instead used bird behavior, water currents and water temperature to navigate.
Fitzhugh says that the Kurils' population decline has less to do with environmental challenges and more to do with changes in social and political influences, such as skirmishes between Russia and Japan over control of the Kurils.
He adds that as a global society in a time of environmental changes, we have to protect abilities of small and vulnerable populations to sustain themselves.
"This is not something that will naturally rise to the top of priorities of large political systems without concerted effort," Fitzhugh said.
The work is part of the Kuril Biocomplexity Project, funded by the National Science Foundation and the University of Washington, with additional support from the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
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I'm just a man who wants things right and simple...
Britney Spears / If I hold it against you
http://video.uk.msn.com/browse/news/week-in-video?VideoID=2gm6xwin&PlayerSize=Small
You Benefit If Your Romantic Partner Recovers Well from Spats
(Feb. 14, 2011) — People searching for fulfilling and stable romantic relationships should look for a romantic partner who recovers from conflict well. Yes, it turns out that if your romantic partner recoups well after the two of you have a spat, you reap the benefits, according to results of a new study by the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development's Institute of Child Development.
The research looks at how people recover or come down after a conflict with their romantic partner, said Jessica Salvatore, the lead researcher in the study "Recovering From Conflict in Romantic Relationships: A Developmental Perspective." The article is set to appear in the journal Psychological Science, and has been released online. Co-authors of the study are university researchers Sally Kuo, Ryan Steele, Jeffry Simpson and W. Andrew Collins.
Salvatore and her colleagues' research digs into a new area. In the past, marriage researchers have focused on how people resolve conflicts, but they never looked at what happens after the conflict ends and how people recover, Salvatore said.
"What we show is that recovering from conflict well predicts higher satisfaction and more favorable relationship perceptions. You perceive the relationship more positively," Salvatore said.
The interesting finding is that you don't have to be the one who recovers well to benefit.
"If I'm good at recovering from conflict, my husband will benefit and be more satisfied with our relationship," Salvatore said.
The study's participants were 73 young adults who have been studied since birth and their romantic partners.
"Several decades of marriage research show that what happens during a conflict matters. What we show is that what happens in the time following a conflict also matters," she said.
A partner who recovers well doesn't let remnants of the conflict spill over or leak into other parts of the relationship, Salvatore said. He or she is able to separate conflict from other types of interactions, such as deciding how to parent their children or providing support to one another.
The study's findings are relevant to everyone in relationships, Salvatore said.
"I especially think this will be important for marital therapists and other people who are working with couples who are experiencing some relationship distress," Salvatore said.
Results of the study also show that infant attachment security plays a role in how someone recovers from conflict.
"Having a caregiver who was more in-tune and responsive to your emotional needs as an infant predicts better conflict recovery 20 years later," Salvatore said. This means that if your caregiver is better at regulating your negative emotions as an infant, you tend to do a better job of regulating your own negative emotions in the moments following a conflict as an adult.
But not all is lost if you were insecurely attached as an infant. "We also show people who were insecurely attached as infants but whose adult romantic partners recover well from conflict are likely to stay together. What this shows is that good partners in adulthood can help make up for difficulties experienced early in life," Salvatore said.
The four tops / Still waters run deep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ToR5YyBdQ/
The central and eastern north African countries need me, they need to know that I am here for them as a male with a lot of respect for them. As a member of our world I salute you and will soon be joining the company of multi cultural promotions for region habitual historical disciplines for the study of eventual interplanetary integration and the evolutionary capabilities of genre adaptives.
William Devaughn / Diamond in the back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go-az0sm2HI&feature=related
That's the end of this blog. I have decided that the training programme is completed and the first orbital is complete. The blog will still be on probably for a while giving you the opportunity to look at the blog and it's earlier postings.
I will be continuing to post my journal at another blog which I am starting, the blog title is 'prerogative mansworld' and essentially is a journal of my life in the business world, world economics and how my hero and idol Marlon Brando helps me become a man.
Obviously I pay homage to my real mum and dad as will obviously be watching...
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