Women and the IT Workplace in North West England

Abstract

The United Kingdom (UK) information technology (IT) industry is highly male dominated, and women are reported to account for an estimated 15% of the sector’s workforce (EOC, 2004). In Spring 2003 it was estimated that there were 151,000 women working in IT occupations compared to 834,000 men (EOC, 2004) Additionally, it has been reported that these numbers are rapidly declining, as women are haemorrhaging from the industry in disproportionate numbers (George, 2003). Although they are making inroads into senior and technical roles, “vertical segregation” is observable. Overall, women tend to be represented in lower-level IT jobs, with the majority, 30%, in operator and clerical roles; and the minority in technical and managerial roles, 15% of ICT management and 11% of IT strategy and planning professionals (EOC, 2004). This renders a “feminisation” of lower-level IT occupations. Educational statistics have also shown that fewer women are enrolling onto computer-related courses; there was a drop from 24% in 2000 to 20% in 2003 (E-Skills, 2004a)