Women in Technology

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Women in Technology

• Eileen Brown
• Microsoft UK
• http//blogs.technet.com/eileen_brown

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Women in Technology Survey...

• Launched 22 March 2007,closed 11 April 2007
• 1,394 people took the survey
• 731 completed all 15 questions.
• 17 were men, 32 had no technology industry
  experience
• Excluding these yielded 1,345 women in technology
• 700 completed the survey in its entirety
• Sample size of 662 needed to achieve 99
  confidence level that
• Results represent the views of 95 of a
  population of 300,000
• Several survey questions asked for a written
  response, instead of multiple choice
• Dealing with perceptions rather than facts

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• Q What's the most senior level you've achieved
  in your technology career?

the shaded column represents the responses of
406 (34 of the total) women technologists who
care for children or dependents
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Caring responsibilities
the shaded column represents the responses of
406 (34 of the total) women technologists who
care for children or dependents
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Working Environment and Support

• Q Which of the following does your current (or
  last) technology employer offer?
• Do you use the facility if available?

the shaded column represents the responses of
406 (34 of the total) women technologists who
care for children or dependents
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Supply is one thing demand is often quite
another

• Uptake of facilities offered by employers

the shaded column represents the responses of
406 (34 of the total) women technologists who
care for children or dependents
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Being a woman in the Technology industry
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• Women told us they had to work harder than men to
  prove themselves at work - and that this demand
  was constant.
• Women who saw themselves as ambitious and
  successful dont credit other women for helping
  them.
• They saw weak, stereotypically feminine women
  and mothers who didnt pull their weight as
  tarnishing womens brand - and holding
  careerist women back.
• Senior management and line managers were seen as
  supportive, as were immediate colleagues
• HR departments rated poorly.
• Overwhelmingly women told us that the people who
  could do most to help them (whether in career
  advancement, being taken more seriously, or
  encouraging girls to engage with technology
  careers)were women themselves.

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Being a woman hasnt been detrimental to my
career in Technology

• It's made absolutely no difference. My skills
  and interests have shaped my career, not my
  gender.
• Anyone within the organisation who hasn't known
  me for a while assumes I am non-technical, they
  treat me like a junior until I get senior
  management involved. It's annoying.
• As a woman over 30 working in the computer games
  industry it is very difficult to overcome the pub
  and mate culture guys with much less experience
  than me get granted projects and are consulted
  much more. I need to demonstrate something a
  thousand times before I am taken into account.
• I feel I don't get a chance to install hardware
  and networks because its done by the boys.
• Women have to work far harder than men, as they
  have to prove themselves the entire time.

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Other women are more likely to see me as 'geeky'
because I work in technology

• Yes they do, but I like being geeky and I don't
  care! Geeky is good! Don't assume geeky is
  negative!
• I'd rather be a geek than a shelf stacker.
• I was always seen as geeky by any non-technical
  females and was often treated as an outcast
  because of the department I worked in.
• I run a dot.com start-up. Most of my peers see
  that as very cool - not geeky.
•  
• Other women are more in awe of what I do!

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The people who could do the most to support the
agenda of women working in technology are

• Women
• Immediate managers, senior leaders and
  executives. This needs to percolate right down
  from the top of an organisation.
•   
• People at the top have a diverse top management
  structure, and make sure you're actively seeking
  and promoting women.

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• Female managers who do not have family are often
  worse than men towards the needs of mothers.
• Most women senior managers have come up the
  ranks making enormous personal sacrifices and see
  no reason why the rest of the female population
  cannot do the same.
• Women find it more difficult to project
  themselves than men do and tend to keep their
  heads down and do a good job rather than shouting
  about it. That can hinder women's progress at
  work.
• If you are assertive you can be labelled bitchy
  whereas men don't have that issue, they are
  strong.

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• Using maternity leave gives you a hard setback.
•  Ive got two kids, but was just 12 weeks not
  working. But the nine months before - and even 12
  months after the birth - my company showed no
  interest in me and I got only the jobs no other
  wanted. It took me three years to show that I'm
  still in the game.
•  You have to work harder to get noticed, also no
  one will ever admit it, but you get to a certain
  age, and no one will promote you for fear of
  going on maternity leave.
•  It hasn't been to mine, as I have not yet had
  any children.
•  A late-in-life maternity leave killed any
  chance of promotion stone dead.
•  Ive generally done OK in my jobs but if you
  really want to get get on then you have to be
  prepared to spend a reasonable amount of time
  away from your family - and Im no longer
  prepared to do that.

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• We could network support each other more.
• The more we keep at it the more we'll change the
  attitudes of our bosses and colleagues. The more
  we chat our work to friends and family the more
  other women will consider it as a career option.

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Women in Technology

• Kate Isler
• Online Services Group
• Microsoft UK

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• Personal
• Married for 20 years
• 3 Children, all boys!
• Have lived worked in 5 countries as an adult
• Hobbies
• distance running 3 marathons countless ½
  marathons
• Cooking eating
• Career
• Started in outside sales for Photo Printing
  company
• Small local Northwest (US) Advertising Agency
  Account Executive
• Joined un-known software company outside of
  Seattle in late 1980s
• Gain prospective Started my own consulting
  business 1998
• Recruited (back) to very well known Software
  company 2003
• Moved to completely new universe 2006 ..on-line
  technology

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• Limiting ourselves
• I couldnt possible do that..
• that would be to outspoken or pushy
• Building profile is risky
• Flexibility is a key factor
• Returning and retraining is challenging
• Women helping women

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• Communication
• Know what you want
• Know who you are
• Know what you are good at
• Tell people who you are and what you are about!
• Tell them again
• Confidence
• Not arrogance
• Support
• Build networks purposefully
• Reach out to a wide group of people, inside
  outside your company, outside your industry
• Seek feedback
• Find Mentor relationship

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• Building your profile is on-going
• Be genuine and true to yourself
• Plan your network and revisit it often
• Always bring your history with you
• Make this a part of your professional life

Opportunity is everywhere
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• It is not who we are, but what we do that gives
  meaning to our life on earth.
• Jehan Sadat, former first lady of Egypt
• and womens rights activist

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Women In Technology

• If you could give young women looking for a
  position in the IT market place a single piece of
  advice what would it be?Do not be put off by the
  fact that the majority of your colleagues are
  men. I have never seen it as an issue. Some of my
  closest work colleagues and best friends are
  male. If you do not make it an issue, they won't.
• Jane Lewis MS Premier Field Engineering
• For me its truly about what we DO

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Women In Technology

• 25 of the IT industry are women
• In the IT market the percentage of women has
  been falling since 2000
• The representation of women in ITEC occupations
  is only 16 Gartner/IBM Studies
• At Microsoft 14 of our techies are women
• 29 of MS UK are women

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Women In Technology

• The great question that has never been answered,
  and which I have not yet been able to answer,
  despite my thirty years of research into the
  feminine soul, is ''What does a woman want?
• Sigmund Freud
• 1856-1939. Austrian Physician. Founder of
  Psychoanalysis.

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Source The Where Women Want to Work TOP 50
http//www.wherewomenwanttowork.com/top50
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• Societal pressure
• The Glass Ceiling
• Loss of skills after maternity
• Women supporting women
• Networking

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• What it means to me
• WIT
• To provide women in the technology community a
  networking and professional growth environment to
  develop relationships and create new
  opportunities. www.womenintechnology.co.uk
• At work
• Personal

I look upon every day to be lost, in which I do
not make a new acquaintance. Samuel Johnson
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• Is married with a son
• Strong Maths background programmer
• Ex McKinsey
• Smart
• Results driven
• Respected by peers
• Great network at HQ
• Wide career experience
• Trusted
• Emotionally Connected

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• Kathleen Hogan
• VP Microsoft
• Customer and Support

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• How would you rate your org/boss
• Where are you today
• To what degree do you feel that you belong?
• Who are your Role Models
• What are you going to do about it
• Are you in a place where you can make a living
  being you and being valued for that?
• Exam Question Discuss over drinks ?

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• At work
• Chose my company carefully company carefully
• Chose my boss even more carefully!
• I try to be great at whatever I do then look to
  spread out
• Share knowledge freely mentor others, new
  joiners, SIGs, WIT and mixed groups
• Be accessible open diary, welcoming voice mail,
  make the effort etc
• Get involved in stuff
• CSR is a great (new) opportunity these days
• Cultivate a wide and diverse circle of colleagues
• Build common interest with others ALL flavours!
• I wasnt one of the boys I tried to be one of
  the crowd

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• Personally
• Be interesting ?
• I read widely and deeply, Im open to new
  cultures, travel when I can, explore new
  interests, show great passion, try to be fun to
  be with
• Have a life outside work try to serve
• Local councillor, charity leadership, sports
  clubs for others these may work too - kids
  groups, Local Health Trust, School Governorship,
  CSO, Reserve Forces, teach/instruct etc etc
• Be as clear as I can about my life compass
  then engage in activities which support that and
  with people who share similar drivers
• I look upon every day to be lost, in which I do
  not make a new acquaintance. Samuel Johnson