IT Women in the industry

THE days of bra-burning anger are over, aren't they? The modern corporate world has embraced gender diversity, right?

"(I am) sick of banging my head on the glass ceiling," says one furious female information and communications technology worker. "(I am) sick of the added scrutiny, just plain tired of corporate life, upset when yet again passed over for a dill who thinks he's my equal, when he has less experience, less know-how and fewer qualifications."

While the glass ceiling dissolves in the enlightened world, many women believe ICT hides dark corners of exclusion.

The proportion of women to men in the occupation has fallen steadily in the past five years, from 26.65 per cent in 2001 to 20 per cent in 2005, according to the Department of Education, Science and Training. Women are leaving IT and not being replaced.

The angry voice above may explain why. It comes from a new survey of 289 women in ICT by researchers at James Cook University - the final stage of a big research project into low participation rates of females in ICT-related trades. Preliminary results, shown exclusively to Next, paint a worrying picture.

More than one in 10 women in an ICT industry experiences blatant discrimination, and more than half say the ICT culture creates subtle discrimination, the survey found.

More than a third said important decisions were made outside the office, and 20 per cent said their workplace culture excluded them from non-work socialising that was necessary for career advancement.

Almost 20 per cent said they need to act masculine to get their own way, and more than 40 per cent said they were held to a higher standard then their male peers.

Many respondents complained of a "silicon ceiling". One woman told the survey, "be prepared to work your butt off while others around you snooze". Another said, "keep up with the latest technical trends if you want respect from your male peers. To advance in the ICT industry you have to work harder than your male peers."

Consultant Dr Catherine Norton has heard similar stories from across the country. She has just returned from a series of workshops on leadership for women in ICT, sponsored by Australian Women in Science and IT Entity (AWise) and funded by the Australian Government Office for Women.

"The stories I hear are that women need help in areas like influence, like learning leadership skills, feeling like it's a bit of a boys club, and they don't feel like they can break through barriers," Dr Norton says. "They come to the workshop for some renewal, to get the spark and the passion back because they are burnt out and tired, they feel they are working very hard and not getting anywhere.

By NICK MILLER