IBM has appointed its first-ever woman CEO. Virginia Rometty, a senior vice president, will succeed Samuel J. Palmisano at the start of next year. This is good news. Rometty will be joining the rather small group of female CEOs in the technology industry including Ursula Burns of Xerox and Meg Whitman of Hewlett – Packard. That prominent women executives in our industry can be counted on the fingers of one hand is not good news. (more…)
Andy Green, CEO of Logica, spoke at Intellect’s Young Professionals Network a couple of weeks ago about the latest developments in the technology sector, the challenges the industry is currently facing and how it can achieve smart and sustainable growth. Andy is passionate about the IT industry and a fervent believer in the positive role technology can play in solving the geopolitical challenges that lie ahead.
One of the things that puzzles him, however, is why the sector suffers from such a persistent skills shortage. ‘What is it that discourages young people from studying STEM subjects and pursuing a career in IT?’ asked Andy. The answer was offered instantly, if not a bit timidly, from a young attendee. ‘People who work for the technology are considered to be geeks, ‘and nobody likes geeks, except maybe the fashionistas and the bespectacled hip kids dwelling in my neck of the woods. Even politicians seem to have little respect for geeks. Kenneth Clarke, in a recent interview in the Observer, gently dismissed the newly elected Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, as an ‘attractive sort of geek’ whose rightful place is behind a book-crammed desk at a think-tank, not frontline politics.
With the stereotype of the geek running rampant still, it comes as no surprise that fewer and fewer young people aspire to work for an industry swarmed by ‘socially inept, boringly conventional and studious people’ (that’s the Oxford Engilsh Dictionary definition of the term, not mine).
So, maybe the technology sector needs to embark on an elaborate branding strategy to break the perpetual stereotype of the geek if it’s serious about attracting young people and tackling its skills shortage.
Maybe, it could follow the lead of food retailers (e.g. Waitrose and Switzerland’s Coop) in demonstrating the life story of its products and the people involved in creating them. Consumers seem to be increasingly interested in the life cycle of the products they consume and the technology industry has some amazing stories to tell about its products and, most importantly, the creative and innovative people behind them.
The STEMNET and e-Skills IT Ambassadors initiatives to inspire and educate young students about technology are positive steps in dispelling the geek mythology. The proliferation of girl geek events around the country and Intellect’s fast growing network of young professionals in IT are, also, hopeful signs, but do they suffice? What else can the industry do to raise its profile and attract more young people?
Forty –two years after 300 sewing machinists brought the Ford empire to its knees after discovering they were paid 15 per cent less than men doing the same work, their plight is making it to the big screen. ‘Made in Dagenham’ will be premiered in the UK on 1st October 2010, the same month the Equality Act 2010 will be coming come into force. The protests for equal pay by the sewing machinists paved the way for the Equal Pay Act 1970.
One would have expected that after nearly half a century from the introduction of the Equal Pay Act in this country, the pay gap between men and women would have narrowed significantly. Yet, the reality is that gender discrimination within the workplace remains a thorny issue. According to the Government Equalities Office, the gender pay gap for full time work is 16.4%.
Somewhat more worryingly, IT ranks as the least equal sector, with average wage for male managers being £17,736 more than that of their female counterparts. According to a recent report from the Chartered Management Institute the technology industry is more than six decades away from achieving pay equality. Now, grim figures like these could make even the most ardent anti-feminist feel sorry for women working in the sector.
Clearly, there is a lot of work to be done if the UK is to redress the inequalities in pay between men and women. Pay transparency provisions contained in the forthcoming Equality Act are, undoubtedly, a positive step towards tackling the pay gap, but do they suffice? Intellect’s HR Forum will cover everything you need to know about the Equality Act 2010 at their upcoming Employment Law Seminar in collaboration with Kemp Little.
Here at Intellect, we are committed to work closely with the coalition government and key stakeholders to raise awareness among employers and encourage initiatives to promote gender equality. The forthcoming publication of a comparative report on gender pay within the IT sector by the Women in IT Forum is one of the many activities planned for 2010/2011 to help raise the profile of women in the industry.
If you’d like to find out more about the above Intellect events please contact me E: theodora.kalessi@intellectuk.org