Thursday, March 08, 2012

International Women's Day: Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures

Happy International Women's Day everyone! In conjunction with today's theme The IT Job Board is calling on all women to consider a career in technology. A survey from the online recruitment website recently revealed that less than a fifth (19%) of IT candidates are women. 

Despite this being a 3% rise from the same survey last year, it is still concerning to see the very low proportion of women working within the sector. 
 Alexandra Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, commented: "Schools and universities have a role to play in encouraging girls to train in courses which will support and persuade them to pursue a career in IT."

Farrell is clearly on the same page as internationalwomensday.com today, which is promoting the theme of "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures" for the 101st annual International Women's Day. Today is not just about celebrating the achievements of women so far, but it's also about teaching younger generations why a career in the technology sector might be an attractive option for them.

Farrell added: "We need to do more to attract young people into IT careers, and I believe nurturing female talent at this early stage is vital."

In addition to younger women entering the industry, many ladies already in the working world may be put off by the thought of having to work longer hours, without the option of flexible working and working from home. According to The IT Job Board's survey one third of respondents claimed to be working longer hours this year when compared to last year. 

These figures would obviously be a turn off for women who have to juggle both work and childcare, however by utilising the right technologies, and by companies offering more flexible working opportunities, it can be possible to experience the best of both worlds. 

Computer Weekly

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