If you have ever been to the IT department of a company you must have noticed the male /female distribution, women are in the minority and not by a small margin. Research has shown that for every 1,000 women with a bachelor's degree, there are only 29 with an IT diploma. And of those 29 women, 86% do not choose a job in IT!
Why not?
The answer is obvious and unfortunately very true; The image of ICT is not very flattering. As much as we want to believe that the 'ICT nerd' image does not exist anymore, it still does. During my search for a room during the first year of my study, after many unsuccessful attempts, I removed the word 'IT' from my motivation letters. And yes, that helped me to get a room. When I tell people that I work in IT, I still get strange looks. Like I am going to play video games all the day in a dark hood. I get often told that "IT is not something for girls,". I always get angry when someone says that. It is not good at all, that an industry that is so important and is becoming increasingly important in this day and age, still has an image that is not in sync with reality. That image, is the answer to the question: "why not?". It scares women.
Why then?
The fact that there are more men in ICT than women is not a problem at all. But the difference between the number of men and women is so big, that it is actually worrying. I personally believe that when there is a better male/ female balance within an organization, it automatically creates a healthier work environment. Women are different from men and can offer other talents and qualities than men.
Thus, women can bring assets such as creativity, communication and empathy to the table and are becoming increasingly important in the 'modern' IT workplace. In addition, studies show that female designed IT products are more user-friendly, prettier and smaller, whereas male designed IT products are more high-tech and innovative. This confirms what we have known for a long time, men and women complement each other. Research also shows that balanced teams respond better to change and perform better overall. By combining the different qualities of men and women, the IT companies can enjoy the best of both worlds. And that makes women in IT so important.
