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US tackles issues facing women in technology

26/05/2011 US tackles issues facing women in technologyLast week, the first ‘Anita Borg Top Company for Technical Women Workshop’ took place in Santa Clara, California hosted by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. The event saw speakers from top IT firms talk about improving gender diversity in business and focus on ways to retain female employees and help further their career.

Dr Caroline Simard, vice-president of research and executive programs for the organisation, commented: "Organisational change to create and sustain cultures where technical women can thrive is a significant challenge faced by companies who strive to reap the benefits from gender diversity.

"This workshop provided companies with a platform to exchange concrete practices and solutions that are making a difference for technical women."

Representatives from Cisco, Google, Symantec, Intel, Intuit, and Microsoft attended the event, while the keynote speaker was from IBM.

Ron Glover, vice-president of diversity and workforce programs at the IT giant, claimed that companies can no longer achieve global success without tackling the issue of gender diversity.

Getting women into IT

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) launches its Summit on Women and IT in New York this week tackling the same issue.

It will focus on creating a stronger technology workforce in the US and encouraging more women to apply for IT jobs.

"Getting more women into technology is a game-changer," Lucy Sanders, chief executive and co-founder of NCWIT remarked.

"There's increased demand for technology talent, and organisations need to capitalise on diversity in fulfilling their business objectives."

The group highlights US government figures which show that just one-quarter of IT professionals in the US were women in 2009, compared to 36 per cent in 1991.

The need to increase the number of women entering the technology industry is similarly relevant in the UK.

This was highlighted on May 10th, an event took place in Aberdeen to show women that they can succeed in a male-dominated career.

Moving Beyond the Boy's Club, hosted by Women in Technology, Girl Geek Scotland and Shell, featured keynote speaker Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris, who as a role model discussed the challenges she has faced during her career.

Importance of role models

An excellent way to encourage more women to enter IT could be through this use of role models.

The US Women in Technology Leadership Awards recently recognised Linda Mills, corporate vice-president of Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector, for her leadership and professional achievement.

Meanwhile, a recent survey of UK women by Marie Claire and Everywoman saw a number of high profile businesswomen listed as the most inspirational female role models above typical celebrities. JK Rowling came top of the poll, followed by Karren Brady and Anita Roddick.

Find out about the next womenintechnology networking event or register to receive our event invitations.
 
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