Statistics show fewer women in IT careers

Fewer than half as many Canadian women are graduating from university and college IT programs today as were 15 years ago, a statistic that managers and business owners should find bothersome, said a director from a national technology society.

Statistics like that are what prompted the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) and several other organizations to hold a women in IT event to educate Grade 9 girls about the benefits of careers in technology.

The national event, held at Ryerson University in Toronto for an audience of 500, was similar to several being held across the country by CIPS on International Women's Day.

CIPS says that less than 25 percent of computer technology graduates were women last year and, if for no other reason than the size of hiring pools, this is reason for managers to be concerned.

"If 52 percent of our population is opting out of these types of jobs because of some misperception, then that is going to make it hard for Canada to be competitive," said Karen Lopez, CIPS director. "That's not just for commercial companies, but effectiveness and efficiency for the government as well."

At the conference, CIPS announced two initiatives to encourage young women to enter the IT field. The first, a national essay contest called Your Future ... Your Mission ... Your Challenge, is open to girls in Grade 9. CIPS is also offering an online mentoring program for students across Canada called Teens Ask CIPS, where students can ask IT professionals about technology careers.

Sandi Della Vedova, a guidance and social consultant at the Toronto District School Board, said thanks to initiatives in and outside the schools, recent research show that things might be improving.

"As of June 2000, our resource department tells us that 49 percent of girls completing Grade 12 have completed, not just taken, but successfully completed, a computer science course," she said.

And while Lopez agrees that these statistics are promising, there is one darker note.

"They are getting it later in their high school careers, unlike boys," Lopez said. "They are being exposed to the technical courses later and they don't have as long to build on the skills as the boys do when they go to university."

She added that many computer courses in high school are focused on just literacy, so students should really focus on math and science if they plan on pursuing a career in IT.

"I made this decision (to go into IT) while I was in high school, which is about the worst possible time in your life to make decisions," she said, explaining that her mother was a high school teacher, a career she said involves a lot of work for a little gain. Lopez said she was being actively recruited for an engineering degree upon graduating high school, but was more interested in the then-blossoming IT industry.

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