How do we make the IT industry more female friendly?

Elaine Rowlands, UK Head of HR for PCMS Group, discusses equality in the workplace, and what needs to be done to better promote it

In 2018, the world's spotlight has turned firmly upon women.

It took the powerful #MeToo movement to focus the news agenda and drive a new global conversation around women's rights. Unsurprisingly, there is plenty more to say, and do, about equality in the workplace.

In the UK, it's a full century since we celebrated female suffrage, and we've recently witnessed the dawning of a new era with the evolution of a female Doctor Who.

But while it may feel unremarkable that two of the world's most powerful leaders currently deciding the future of our continent, Theresa May and Angela Merkel, are female, that is firmly put into context by stories such as the ongoing fallout from BBC pay inequality and The President's Club scandal.

So, there is definitely progress, but we're a long way from where we need to be. In life. In the workplace. And especially in tech.

Here are some worrying statistics. When researchers spoke to more than 2,000 post-GCSE students last year, just three per cent of females viewed tech as a first-choice career. The same study also found that, with the exception of biology, girls are less likely than boys to study STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths) subjects at school and university.

Another study, from the Women's Engineering Society, shows just five per cent of leadership positions in the software engineering industry are held by women. And only 15 per cent of all people working in IT and computing roles in the UK are female. It's frustrating, and change is slow: we work particularly closely with two universities and find the balance of their tech students is still 75 per cent male, 25 per cent female.

With artificial intelligence, 3D printing and other developments leading us into a 4th industrial revolution, today, more than ever before, IT and technology has the potential to shape every element of our lifestyles. The stakes for the human race are incredibly high; therefore, surely both halves of humanity should be equally represented as this new technology develops?

So how do we attract more young women into the IT industry? In my mind, there are three key elements:

Role models

All industries suffer from hard-to-shake stereotypes, but few are so bound to gender as technology. Positive or negative, the person people instantly think of when they hear about a technology role is almost always male. It's a deeply subconscious reaction, and could take decades to address.

So how to tackle it? Here's a question for you: have you heard of Ada Lovelace Day? Ada was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for working on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, in the 1800s. Each year there's an international celebration of female achievements in STEM in her name. If we can push Ada - and other great female technological role models - into the mainstream, we'll inspire a new generation of women into our business.

We also need to engage locally. I've recently been appointed as an Enterprise Advisor at a local secondary school that specialises in technology. I'll be advocating tech careers as an option for all students, regardless of gender.

Recognition

There are several issues at play here.

One is the recognition that comes through leadership. Who can measure the impact on a young woman or a girl of a powerful, high profile female tech CEO? But just five per cent of Fortune 500 CEOs are female, so we can all see the challenge here.

Another is recognition for specific achievements or efforts that go above and beyond. Annual events like Computing's Women in IT Excellence Awards are a great example of this. At PCMS, we've certainly been shouting from the rooftops about our three nominees.

But recognition is also about the day-to-day, and that means pay. Gender pay inequality is an international scandal, and one that must be resolved ASAP. Yes, ensuring pay equality may be a time-consuming (and potentially embarrassing) exercise for any HR department, but it's also a vital one, and for many companies, a cathartic one, too. Like many businesses, at PCMS we've been reviewing our male / female pay, and adjusting our planning accordingly. Fortunately, we perform above our peers in our pay balance metrics, but we are also mindful that long-term trends (more men have entered STEM careers in the past) continue to have an impact.

Culture

Create a working environment that feels open, engaging and modern, and more people of BOTH sexes will want to get involved.

At PCMS, we were a fairly traditional 30-year-old software company, but in the last few years we've shifted our culture tremendously. We've changed dress codes, introduced new two-way communication tools, run hackathons, instigated charity events and appointed more women in executive team roles. We've also brought more women into operational management positions, laying the foundation for more future female leaders through succession planning.

Aside from that, we've created an environment where anyone can ask the CEO anything, either face-to-face or via our Workplace Facebook. It's an environment where every voice is heard: male and female. We believe that our more relaxed, open culture is a key driver to the increase we've had in credible applications from young women.

Attracting more women into STEM will take time, but we will get there. Just ask the woman with the sonic screwdriver.

Elaine Rowlands is the UK Head of HR for PCMS Group, one of the largest independent retail software providers in the world. If you're a woman (or man) of any age looking for a role in IT, please find and contact her via LinkedIn.

Computing's Women in IT Excellence Awards returns, once again, on Tuesday 27 November. It will celebrate the mould-breaking, ceiling-smashing female talent rising up the ranks and shaking up the industry. Check out the dedicated Women in IT Excellence Awards 2018 website for the shortlist, and to reserve your table.