Fewer Women In Top U.S. Tech Jobs Since 2010: Survey

By Nick Zieminski

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of women in senior technology positions at U.S. companies is down for the second year in a row, according to a survey published on Monday.

Nine percent of U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) are female, down from 11 percent last year and 12 percent in 2010, according to the survey by the U.S. arm of British technology outsourcing and recruitment company Harvey Nash Group .

About 30 percent of those polled said their information technology (IT) organization has no women at all in management. Yet only about half of survey respondents consider women to be under-represented in the IT department.

Although women have reached senior positions at Facebook, Xerox , IBM , Oracle and other large companies, they are absent at the top of many IT departments. That makes it hard to draw others to senior roles.

"Less and less women are attracted into that space so you wind up creating a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Anna Frazzetto, senior vice president of international technology solutions, at Harvey Nash USA. "It's not a very welcoming arena to be in."

Women also face the "preconceived notion" that they are focused on other priorities like starting a family. That bias is damaging to IT departments because many struggle to find qualified workers.

The survey, conducted with TelecityGroup, included responses from 450 U.S. technology leaders. It is part of a wider, global survey that found increasing tech budgets and more visible roles for CIOs.

A majority of those surveyed said their organization is facing a skills shortage in areas such as business analysis and project management.

"The skills shortage is the biggest it's ever been, and it's going to cause companies to get a little more creative in shifting the culture of organizations," Frazzetto said.

That shift is already taking place at small companies, but large ones have yet to change their culture, she said.

While the U.S. average of 9 percent female CIOs has declined, it is actually triple the global average of 3 percent, Harvey Nash found.

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski in New York; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Take a look at the most influential women in tech, according to PeekYou, a people-indexer.

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• #9: Ellen Kullman, CEO Of DuPont

  PeekScore: 7.32 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/ellen_kullman/78658725" target="_hplink">Ellen Kullman</a> began her <a href="http://www2.dupont.com/Our_Company/en_US/executives/kullman.html" target="_hplink">career at DuPont</a> about 24 years ago, working her way from marketing manager up through the ranks of executive vice president to president to her current position as CEO and chair of the board, which she began on January 1, 2009.

• #8: Virginia Rometty, CEO And President Of IBM

  PeekScore: 7.60 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/ginni_rometty/333679852" target="_hplink">Virginia "Ginni" Rometty</a> was appointed to her current positions as president and CEO of IBM <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/biography/10069.wss" target="_hplink">just this past year</a>, on January 1. One of her biggest accomplishments over the course of her 31-year career at IBM was the acquisition she led of consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/technology/ibm-names-a-new-chief.html?pagewanted=all" target="_hplink">for $3.5 billion</a>.

• #7: Cher Wang, Co-founder And Chairperson Of HTC

  PeekScore: 7.68 / 10.00 In addition to co-founding HTC Corp., <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/cher_wang/167494999" target="_hplink">Cher Wang</a> founded the computer processor supplier VIA Technologies, Inc. <a href="http://www.htc.com/www/about/#leadership" target="_hplink">in 1987</a>. Last October, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/10/26/cher-wang-the-most-powerful-woman-in-wireless-takes-on-apple/" target="_hplink">Forbes named Wang</a> "The Most Powerful Woman In Wireless."

• #6: Safra Catz, President Of Oracle

  PeekScore: 7.80 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/safra_catz/51174974" target="_hplink">Safra Catz</a> assumed the role of president of hardware and software company Oracle <a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/BoardofDirectors/016342.htm" target="_hplink">in January 2004</a>. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/fortune/1109/gallery.highest_paid_women.fortune/index.html" target="_hplink">According to CNNMoney</a>, Catz is the highest paid woman in business, with total earnings of $42,095,887 in 2010.

• #5: Ursula Burns, CEO Of Xerox

  PeekScore: 7.89 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/ursula_burns/57999322" target="_hplink">Ursula Burns</a> joined Xerox <a href="http://news.xerox.com/pr/xerox/ursula-m-burns.aspx" target="_hplink">more than 30 years ago</a> as a mechanical engineering summer intern and has held her position as CEO since July 2009. Shortly after becoming CEO, she led the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125413413514545919.html" target="_hplink">$6.4 billion purchase</a> of Affiliated Computer Services, <a href="http://news.xerox.com/pr/xerox/ursula-m-burns.aspx" target="_hplink">the largest acquisition in Xerox history</a>.

• #4: Susan Wojcicki, SVP Of Advertising At Google

  PeekScore: 8.00 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/susan_wojcicki/76320003" target="_hplink">Susan Wojcicki's</a> run with Google started even before Google began. Back in 1998, Wojcicki rented out her garage -- the tech giant's birthplace -- to its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/corporatenews/2007-07-04-google-wojcicki_N.htm" target="_hplink">for $1,700 a month</a>. After Google got on its feet, Wojcicki served as <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/susan-wojcicki" target="_hplink">its first marketing professional</a>, eventually reaching her current position as senior vice president of advertising <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/google-promotes-susan-wojcicki-advertising-executive/" target="_hplink">in October 2010</a>.

• #3: Marissa Mayer, VP Of Location And Local Services At Google

  PeekScore: 8.22 / 10.00 At just 37 years old, <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/marissa_mayer/3429432" target="_hplink">Marissa Mayer</a> is the <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/person/marissa-mayer" target="_hplink">youngest member</a> of Google's executive operating committee. The talented exec joined the Google team fresh out of Stanford <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/06/google-marissa-mayer-women-in-tech_n_891167.html" target="_hplink">back in 1999</a>.

• #2: Sheryl Sandberg, COO Of Facebook

  PeekScore: 8.34 / 10.00 <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/sheryl_sandberg/365002232" target="_hplink">Sheryl Sandberg</a> also has some ties to Google -- she used to serve as the company's vice president of global online sales and operations. Nowadays, Sandberg is one of the most powerful women in tech as Facebook's COO, a position she <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20080304/sheryl-sandberg-will-become-coo-of-facebook/" target="_hplink">snagged in March 2008</a>.

• #1: Meg Whitman, President And CEO Of Hewlett Packard

  PeekScore: 8.98 / 10.00 Since becoming HP's new president and CEO b<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/meg-whitman-hp-ceo_n_976597.html" target="_hplink">ack in September 2009</a>, <a href="http://www.peekyou.com/meg_whitman/50531455" target="_hplink">Meg Whitman</a> has made some bold moves -- most recently, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/20/hp-pc-printer_n_1367656.html" target="_hplink">Reuters revealed</a> her plans to combine the company's PC and printing divisions in order to streamline sales. While it's <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-meg-whitman-20120405,0,4066578.story" target="_hplink">still yet to be seen</a> whether Whitman can turn HP around, she certainly <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/company-information/executive-team/meg-whitman.html" target="_hplink">has enough experience to help her out</a>: Prior to her current position, she served as president and CEO of eBay for 10 years, from 1998 to March 2008.

• ALSO ON THE HUFFINGTON POST

  Sheryl Sandberg discusses marriage, her role as CEO of Facebook, and her high hopes for the future of women today.

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Comments

[Amadahy]

02:50 PM on 05/15/2012

I've been in IT for over 10 years and am in upper management. We have one female in our 6 people.

All of the women I've met in IT want to either get out of it, because it's really stressful, you're very undervalued and expected to work as needed after hours with little to no extra compensation, and you do it alone or with very few people -or- they want to get into upper management so they don't have to do tough time-sensitive technical work anymore, actually get a modicum of respect and pay, and try and live a life outside of the Blackberry cemented to your side.

I wouldn't recommend IT work to men or women. It's a lot of work under time sensitive constraints for a fraction of what is made in other departments. The rare exceptions are those who land a dream job.

The most I've learned to expect from people you don't work with in the form of respect is like a Geek squad member. I have multiple college degrees and industry certifications, way more education than many in other more respected depts, and yet every year we struggle to get recognized as a department worthy of acknowledgement, respect, and money.

The perception by management is this: It either works or it doesn't. If it does, they go about their business and forget you. If it doesn't, you better stay late, stay the night, sleep on the floor, but get it fixed, holiday or not.

[Salem1]

10:37 AM on 05/16/2012

Finally, the unvarnished truth. I was trained as a scientist and I urge my daughters to get a scientific/mathematical education as part of their undergrad curriculum, but also let them know the job market for technical folks is being ever more outsourced to first generation immigrants hired solely for their low cost of labor.

Marketing of technical jobs to women is a politically correct blunder of the highest order.

[Amadahy]

04:24 PM on 05/17/2012

We Native Americans are good at truth Salem1. It's been getting others to be truthful with us in the past that's been a difficult task. Thank you for the compliment.

I don't have a problem with marketing of technical jobs to women, but it should be from a genuine, not politically correct, decision to do so. They should know how unglamorous it is for many, just as they hear of the upsides. I think that's what you meant in your second paragraph.

[abhorson]

12:53 PM on 05/15/2012

and that's not because of ANY BIAS ... it is because women don't go into engineering and programming and sciences (in general) ...

math, sciences and programming should be at the top of any young girl's study list ... and parents should encourage them !!

[Terri Skau]

01:35 PM on 05/15/2012

You're right..I'm thankful for the field that my daughter has chosen, but with all of the budget cuts coming here in Calif. She's seeing her future going down in flames...With all of these budget cuts..She will not be able to afford a 4 yr. College and refuses to go into debt by taking out student loans...She is a certified electrician and carpenter...and at the age of 19...;-))

[abhorson]

10:57 AM on 05/16/2012

heck... certified electrician AND carpenter is a GOOD future... don't know about universities and I am sure she can get through it (maybe not in 4 years, but slowly) but
an electrician can make good money ... and maybe she can invest and start her own business.... maybe hire a couple of 'illegals' to do some of the work ... 
smart of her NOT to go into debt... hey... maybe she inherited her mother's looks AND brains !!

[Terri Skau]

01:52 PM on 05/15/2012

I do know that if Melissa my daughter wanted to go into the IT Tech world...She could...and as a parent always encouraged her and her brothers...When it comes to computers they are very adept with them...Also their father is the IT Production Manager for Watson Pharm. I was the one who encouraged him to make a change in 98 and he did. He became a Microsoft Computer Systems Expert..And now has his BA in computers...;-))

[abhorson]

11:07 AM on 05/16/2012

are you getting "royalties" ??? should be .. WOULD be had I negotiated your terms :))

[patbratsuz]

12:35 PM on 05/15/2012

When I was in college 25 years ago the percentage of women getting a computer science degree was about 40% (guessing based on class room attendance at a state university). Now it's down to 12%. And it is something that I struggle to understand, but it most definitely is cultural.

A few years back my aunt, who is a math teacher, invited me to be on a panel at her school to speak to the seniors about the benefits of a technical degree. She thought if we had a woman on the panel that more young woman would show up to the talk. 50+ students showed up, only two were female. Both young women were of Asian descent.

It certainly does not hurt to ask the question why - and try to understand the situation. And I must say - for me it has been the best job to have when raising a family. The technology provides flexibility as far as where you work and when allowing me to be at the bus stop every day or stay home with a sick child.

[Salem1]

12:31 PM on 05/16/2012

American women (and less so, men) choose not to go into these fields. Asian and South Asian women ( and men) have no problem with them, though.

[MaryfromIL]

04:13 AM on 05/15/2012

This is where female tech colleges would help. As someone who was one of 2 female math majors out of 250 students in my math lecture hall, there is the unspoken message that we don't belong there. The boy lock on computer games when they are young, also discourages girls.

I'm curious how much it has to do with money. Before the 1990's the pay for programmers was not actually very good for all the hours we put in. As year 2000 approached, salaries skyrocketed (yippee!) and there was more male interest.

I'm surprised that the workplace isn't a negative, because our hours really didn't work well with taking care of a family.

[abhorson]

12:56 PM on 05/15/2012

disagree with the family bit ... I had (12-14, or more?, years ago) a couple of women programmers (developer and tester) at an IT company...

when one got pregnant I sat down with her and we worked out a plan where she could work from home two days a week and then after having her daughter to allow her flex time as long as she could deliver her items...

I think it is probably one of the MOST flexible work environments around ...

[patbratsuz]

02:42 PM on 05/15/2012

I agree - it's been a great career to have as a mother.

[MaryfromIL]

01:15 AM on 05/16/2012

It's flex time, but the hours are long, and 24/7 doesn't work very well sometimes.  I had to work most holidays, and was on active 24/7 pager 1 week every month.   That meant I was actively working from 12:30 in the morning for hours, then getting up at 7am to work my regular work day.      That went on for a week each month, and I was on backup another week.  I couldn't be more than 10 minutes from my house for 1/2 the month.

That's in addition to the 60 to 70 hour weeks.   I've been doing this now since 1979.  The number hours are still the same, but it now eats into after hours more.

[Salem1]

12:32 PM on 05/16/2012

Completely nuts.

[MaryfromIL]

03:21 PM on 05/16/2012

Beg pardon.  what is nuts?  my screen name?  My spelling?

[oklaliberal]

01:31 PM on 05/15/2012

bahhahahahahahahahahaha

[DrBulldog]

07:31 PM on 05/14/2012

""It's not a very welcoming arena to be in.""

That is the REAL reason for the declining numbers of women in high tech and IT. I've worked in that same arena for most of my working life and in my opinion the level of male arrogance, ego, and yes, even bullying, is at the worst it has ever been.

[El Chingaso]

09:03 PM on 05/14/2012

Awwww...

[Andrea in the City]

12:21 PM on 05/15/2012

I have been in IT for my entire career and I can say Ive never felt "unwelcome" or bullied. Lets face it, sterotypes come from somewhere, majority of the men Ive worked with would fall into the geek catagory. Not aggressive ego-manic mysoginists. The only "struggles" per say that Ive dealt with with men was when I went inhouse IT for a financial firm. The men on the front office/finance side were the jerks.

[Andrea in the City]

03:12 PM on 05/14/2012

I work in the Infrastructure technology department of a financial firm. We have 160 employees in our department, 7 are women. Of those 7, 2 are administrative assistant and 2 are Communications leads. That leaves 3 that are actually working in a technical capacity. This isn't due to bias because "women want to have families" its because so few women actually pursue careers in technology. Take a look as the stats regarding women graduating with technology related degrees. Even though Im in a tech focused position I still graduated with a degree in Political Science.

[MaryfromIL]

04:05 AM on 05/15/2012

Women have achieved broad parity with men in almost every other technical pursuit. When all science and engineering fields are considered, the percentage of bachelor’s degree recipients who are women has improved to 51 % in 2004-5 from 39 % in 1984-85, according to National Science Foundation surveys.

When one looks at computer science in particular, however, the proportion of women has been falling. In U of Wisc, the mid-1980s, women made up 40 % of the students who majored in management computer systems.

Young women earlier had felt comfortable pursing the major because the male subculture of action gaming had yet to appear.

[abhorson]

12:58 PM on 05/15/2012

true...

[jonesygal]

02:05 PM on 05/14/2012

I have some women friends who attempted to work within It and CGI fields and they were ultimately pushed out because of hostile work environments. I'm not saying it happens everywhere, but I do believe the reason we are seeing fewer women in tech (which, by the way is the correct way of saying it: "fewer" not "less") Anyway, I think we see fewer women because of the biases in our education system and in our employment system.

[J0E1]

11:42 AM on 05/14/2012

There are less women BY CHOICE.  Stop purposely twisting stats to fit the feminist agenda.  I went to an engineering school and I can assure you, any woman who wanted to go into engineering would get into almost any school they wanted with decent grades and every woman I did go to school with is employed in their field.

[angelcakesinc]

12:24 PM on 05/14/2012

And that's how we know that you've buried your head so completely in your own field that you have absolutely zero knowledge of what this article is about. I'll start you off easy, you won't be able to see the point with an engineering degree. Here's one that's a little bit harder, it's also not about personal choice, because absolute free choice is an illusion. Social perceptions, entrenched sexist ideology, and biased interpretations of the goals of women workers compared to men play a huge role in problems like this. Technology, as well as science in general, is still seen as a man's field of work, so it is difficult for women to break into it and feel comfortable and supported enough to not only stay, but flourish and advance. But you'd have to have actually taken a women's studies (or sociology!) course to begin to even remotely grasp the forces at work here. Not something your engineering school would specialize in, I think.

[Andrea in the City]

03:14 PM on 05/14/2012

Its difficult to break into the fields of science and technology without a degree or education in those fields. Check the stats on women graduating with science and technology degrees, there are very very few. Far more women want to be a Marketing exec or a PR agent then want to pursue a career as an IP Telephony engineer

[Adamantoise]

03:28 PM on 05/14/2012

His point (and I agree with him) is that there are not many Women earning 'Tech' degrees from College in the first place. If Women can't be bothered to major in Tech, then there's no way for the number of Women in 'Tech' careers to grow.

While there is sexism in the Tech workforce, the choice of College major is totally up to them, there is no institutional sexism stopping any Woman from majoring in Engineering or Computer Science.

But I agree with you when you say that those Women who ultimately do obtain Tech degrees face a unique set of problems, and that's rather unfortunate.

But really the first line of defense here is attracting more Women to study Tech in the first place. It's only when there are more Women in the Tech workforce that the problems they face will be addressed seriously.