Women in Higher Education Information Technology Careers Vicki Rogers University of West Georgia, Employee University of Georgia, Student

University of West Georgia UWG is in Northwest Georgia 12k Students 2500 Faculty/Staff Claims to fame … Began as an A&M in 1906 Advanced Academy (1/12) #1 in NCAA Division II Football

University System of Georgia 30 Public Institutions all over the state Governed by a Board of Regents 312k students 136k employees

My Story I’m not sure what to write here, but I think I need a slide before the transition into the real material and it might be nice to know a little background about me before I start getting preachy.

Good News IT Careers are among the 10 fastest growing US occupations By 2022 there will be 1.2 million computing related job openings Not so good news … At the current rate we’ll only have about half as many qualified people as we need to fill them

What percent of professional employees in the US are women?

The Numbers Women make up 57% of professional employees in the US

Professional Employee Any employee engaged in work predominantly intellectual and varied in character as opposed to routine mental, manual, mechanical, or physical work; involving the consistent exercise of discretion and judgment in its performance; of such a character that the output produced or the result accomplished cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of time; requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction and study in an institution of higher learning or a hospital, as distinguished from a general academic education or from an apprenticeship or from training in the performance of routine mental, manual, or physical processes. 29 USC

What percentage of IT employees in the US are women?

The Numbers Women make up 26% of IT employees Down from 34.9% in 2002 And 41% in 1996

What percentage of IT Managers are women?

Women IT Leaders US Bureau of Labor and Statistics say 30% of IT managers are women Educause says 23% of Higher Education CIOs or senior managers are women

University System of Georgia Numbers 20/30 institutions responded Overall 30% women 1 institution as low as 8% 1 institution as high 83% 2/30 (7%) institutions have female CIOs or similar

Why Input Throughput

Input

Why Organizational practices Masculine work environments Hiring and promotion practices Lack of role models and mentors Family issues Stereotypes Inflexible work policies

Why Personal barriers Gender influence self efficacy (believe you can succeed) Lack of social capitol (relationships) Networking opportunities Sense of belonging

Throughput Women are 3x more likely to leave IT Cultural fit Expectation gaps Lack of role models and mentors Career satisfaction Organizational commitment Role ambiguity Role conflict

How do we fix it? Does it even need fixing? Where do we start?

Women in IT Women in Leadership Women in Higher Education

More women in college 57% of college students are female Women earn more degrees now 60% of masters degrees 50.4% of doctorates Women faculty/administration 26% of full professors 23% university presidents 14% of presidents at doctoral granting institutions In Universities, women are less likely to be hired Less likely to be promoted Are paid less

USG Board of Regents

Women in Leadership Women make up half the labor force Women make up only 5% of top management positions Traditional research focused on intentional exclusion Recent research is looking at “second generation gender bias” Invisible barrier Cultural beliefs about gender Workplace structure

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The Intersection of 3 challenges ?? Women in IT Women in Leadership Women in Higher Education

Does it Matter? Gallop Poll from 2014 found that diverse teams perform better Men and women have different viewpoints, ideas, and market insights, which enables better problem solving A gender-diverse workforce provides more knowledge A gender-diverse workforce allows the company to serve an increasingly diverse customer base. Gender diversity helps companies attract and retain talented women. Companies cannot afford to ignore 50% of the potential workforce and expect to be competitive in the global economy.

Top 5 Reasons for Gender Diversity Larger Talent Pool Improved Performance Improved Moral Increased ROA Legal Protection

Wowing you with Science Study from 2013 at the University of Pennsylvania Women’s brains connect more between left and right hemispheres Men’s brains connect more within hemispheres Might explain why men are better at learning and performing single tasks, while women are better at multitasking and group problem solving Big finding – we compliment each other!

University of Pennsylvania Research

What Can We Do?

We Have to Change Talk about it Learn more about it (even men) Specifically develop women (its different) Deal with these issues: Cultural fit Expectation gaps Lack of role models and mentors Career satisfaction Organizational commitment Role ambiguity Role conflict Work on these personal barriers: Gender influence self efficacy (believe you can succeed) Lack of social capitol (relationships) Networking opportunities Sense of belonging

What are the greatest person barriers (male or female) to successfully attaining a leadership position in HE IT?

What barriers are specific to women?

What hard or soft skills are essential for women to achieve success in IT leadership?

What is the best way to prepare young women for leadership in our field?

Questions, Comments, Concerns… Vicki Rogers