BCSWomen Specialist Group

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Supporting Women in Computing via the BCSWomen
Virtual Community

• BCSWomen Specialist Group
• Presented by Cornelia Boldyreff

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Shortage of IT Professionals Particularly Women
in the UK

• Decrease in women who work in IT from 29 in 1994
  to 24 in 2004
• 70 of women IT graduates are not working with
  technology

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Why are there fewer women in IT?

• Lack of confidence, e.g. they dont send in their
  CVs to computing companies,
• Lack of support, when they do get a job they
  often feel isolated,
• Economic inequality as unequal pay is common in
  IT
• The macho ethos of predominately male working
  environments in IT companies.

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Government Initiatives to encourage Young Women
into Computing Particularly Girls

• UK Department of Trade and Industry initiative,
  Spark
• Paper and web based bi-annual magazine
• Aimed at girls from 11 to 15 years
• Promoting technology and science in entertaining
  and interesting way

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BCS Initiatives to encourage Young Women into
Computing Particularly Girls

• The British Computer Society developed a series
  of posters and career leaflets in 2002
• Designed particularly with girls in mind
• Stressing soft rather than hard skills
• Such as "good communication skills"
• Identifying careers such as Systems Analysis and
  Film Animation

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Initiatives to encourage Adults in Computing

• European Computer Driving Licence
• Aimed at End and Novice users
• Practical Test of skills including
• Word-processing
• Spreadsheet
• Database
• Presentation software
• E-mail and Internet use
• Route from ECDL to IT career

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Problems that discourage in Women from working in
Computing

• Pressures to balance family commitments with work
  
• Problems attending professional meetings
  providing networking options
• British Computer Society meetings usually in the
  evenings
• Conference attendance normally requires absence
  from home

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More problems

• Limited number of women in Computing
• Lack of role models
• Lack of focused support
• Inability to attend conventional networking
  meetings
• Inaccessible forms of support
• Hence the need for a web-based group, such as
  BCSWomen!

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Motivation and Ethos of BCSWomen

• A virtual community for women working in IT was
  set up to try to address these problems and
  support women in their workplaces.
• The BCSWomen specialist group of the British
  Computer Society was set up in 2001 by Dr Sue
  Black to support women BCS members and provide
  them with a means of communicating with each
  other.
• The 750 strong all female group communicate with
  each other via the internet and have developed
  into an active a virtual community within which
  all members are able to discuss topics with each
  other in an immediate, user friendly way.

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BCSWomen Key Features

• Web-based community
• Provides opportunity for networking
• Provides support for women in IT/IS
• Supports and encourages girls and women entering
  IT careers
• Provides central contact for media channels on
  issues relating to women and IT

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BCSWomen Services

• Provision of a web-based C.V. reviewing service
• Advice on interviewing techniques
• Assistance in locating jobs
• Mentoring
• Assistance to women wishing to become mentors
• Offering long-term career advice

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BCSWomen in operation

• Membership is free
• Members contribute to a request for information
• whether technical or job-related
• if and when they can
• Requests for help or advice come from established
  and new IT entrants
• Over 150 messages a month posted

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BCSWomen Mailing List Typical Topics

• Overseas voluntary work in computing
• Technical requests on certain software
• Web references for certain methodologies
• Practical experiences with certain processes
• Possible attendees at seminars and conferences

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BCSWomen Activities

• Encouraging participation in "Race for Life"
• To walk, run or jog in UK charity events
• To raise money for cancer research
• Group support through members personal
  experiences with cancer

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BCSWomen Outreach

• Encouraging girls into IT
• School Visits by BCSWomen members
• Explaining the exciting world of IT
• Emphasising opportunities for women
• Case Studies

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BCSWomen Members Addressing Barriers to Girls
from entering Computing

• Lack of knowledge of what the different IT jobs
  involved
• Poor career guidance
• Lack of role models
• Influence from families and popular media,
• So we need exciting TV dramas about the
  computing profession featuring women!

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Recent BCSWomen activities

• BCSWomen is 5 years old!
• BCSWomen Bag around the world!
• BCSWomen Blog Celebrating 50 years of Women in
  Computing!

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Sue Black cuts the BCSWomen 5th Birthday Cake!
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Lessons Learnt

• BCSWomen is accessible to any woman with a web
  browser at work or at home!
• BCSWomen is inclusive and involves no costly or
  time-consuming travel to meeting.
• It is available 24 / 7 so can fit easily within
  members busy lives.
• Its positive achievements to date have encouraged
  wider participation and growth in membership,
  with 750 plus members.

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This presentation itself is the product of
web-based collaboration.

• Authors
• Sue Black, Cornelia Boldyreff, Jules Lebihan and
  other members of the BCSWomen group.