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FROM THE EDITOR Women in Technology Women still aren't entering into IT careers in large numbers, and that's got to change.
This issue of Oracle Magazine features guest editorialist Leslie Steere, senior director of Oracle Publishing. Steere oversees Oracle publications and Web sites including Oracle and Profit magazines, Oracle.com, and Oracle Technology Network (OTN). We recently received lively e-mail from readers who objected to the fact that all the recipients of our 2003 Editors' Choice Awards, featured in the November/December 2003 issue, are men. Each of our award recipients is unquestionably deserving of the honor, and I'm proud of our awards, but the situation does bring to light the continuing dearth of women in the field of IT and raises the related issue of how to adequately recognize women who excel in IT. If few women are in the positions of CIO, IT manager, software designer, engineer, or database administrator, even a far-reaching selection process such as ours, which included many women as nominators, will have a hard time locating and honoring women as leaders in those roles. That results in a lack of role models who might encourage women to pursue careers in technology, and the cycle continues. That cycle can be broken, but it will take work, and a look at some current statistics explains why. Here in the U.S., women are 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce, yet they represent only 29 percent of the technology sector workforce, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In parts of Europe, the numbers are even lower. Recent research suggests that in some Western European countries, women comprise less than 10 percent of the overall IT workforce. Perhaps even more frustrating is that these numbers aren't changing quickly. According to a study published in 2003 by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), even though women are now as likely as men to receive a four-year college degree, only 28 percent of them are studying in a field that will prepare them for work in science, engineering, and information technology. Why is it important for women to enter the world of IT? First, having technology skills opens doors to literally hundreds of thousands of well-paying positions. As Julie Basu, senior manager of JSP and XML midtier development at Oracle, says, "IT is an integral part of pretty much every industry, and in addition to good pay, it affords you intellectual stimulation." Second, business today is built on technology, and having knowledge and skills in technology means having power in today's corporations and enterprises. Finally, technology is a basic part of our everyday lives. Technology today shapes us, just as we shape it, and women cannot and should not be left out of the process of influencing and building the technology-based world of tomorrow. Fortunately, there are groups and organizations that assist women and girls interested in careers in technology. Many have mentoring programs that pair women in IT roles with women just starting in technology (see Next Steps). And forward-thinking companies such as Oracle have diversity programs and other policies that support women and their advancement. But what about getting recognition? I asked Kimberly Floss, president of the International Oracle Users Group, how women in technology can get recognition for their contributions. Floss says that women, like their male counterparts, must keep current in their skills and stay abreast of emerging technologies. In addition, she offers the following advice: 1. Get involved in technology groups. Join groups such as IOUG or your local Oracle users group, where you have the chance to meet and network with your female and male peers. 2. Volunteer. If you have the time, put your technology skills to additional use with a nonprofit or user group. 3. Get published. Start submitting articles to technical publications and online communities. It's not just women who stand to benefit from their involvement with IT: It's business. As Oracle's Claire Dessaux, director of Product Management for Oracle Application Server, points out, women bring important skills to the world of IT. "Women can be extremely talented at negotiating," says Dessaux, "a skill that comes in handy when dealing with customers." In addition, she says, women bring organization, attention to detail, and communication and team-building abilities to the table. So this year, let's see more women in IT, and more women recognized along with their male peers for work well done. Leslie Steere, Senior Editorial Director
leslie.steere@oracle.com |
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