We’re living in the age of equality; women are breaking the glass ceiling and sitting in boardrooms more and more. But, according to new research from Technojobs, they’re not so enamoured with the digital industry, as figures show only 1 in 20 applicants for vacancies in IT are female.

2013 statistics show that there were 176,000 female IT professionals, compared with 953,000 men.

When surveyed, women claimed the industry does little to lure them in, with its image as a male-dominated industry. A vicious circle, perhaps. We all know of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates – perhaps a contributory factor is that there are so few female role models in the industry, which does little to encourage women’s interest in technological positions.

Given that technology is one of the fastest-growing global industries, there’s no doubt such an approach is wrong. Women use technology as widely as men, so surely the ongoing development of IT products would benefit from a female perspective? IT support fares even worse, with only 10% of the support staff workforce being women.

The education system has been cited as another hurdle for females to combat; poor support and a lack of information seem to be all that’s on offer when women show interest in technology and the digital industry. However, other sources refute this claim, saying that education can no longer be used as an excuse. A recent study by Catalyst showed that a good proportion of women are graduating with technical degrees, yet the industry fails to appeal from that point onwards. The report suggests a gender gap rears its head from the very start of a woman’s career in IT, with pay and positions affected as a result. Being in an entry-level position is why 53% of women leave the industry. This is compounded by the feeling they’re the ‘outsider’ when working on projects and in teams – 75% of women feel ostracised, compared with only 17% of men.

Suggestions to combat this include mentoring programmes and sponsorship for women towards higher positions. Irrespective of gender, having so many people leaving the industry at the outset affects the whole bottom line; pretending the issue doesn’t exist is costly.

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