Lack of women in IT – ways to increase diversity
Women are still heavily underrepresented in the IT industry, which is already evident in the training. For example, the proportion of women in computer science degree programs is just 21.8 percent. Various initiatives are trying to counteract this status quo.
The need for skilled workers is increasing
The IT industry has been booming for years, and at the same time the demand for skilled workers in this sector of the economy is growing steadily. Even in the crisis year of 2020, demand for IT specialists on the training market rose by 8.4 percent compared to the previous year.
Once again, it seems astonishing from an economic perspective that the IT industry has still not tapped into the potential offered by the female share of the population. Yet surveys show that a majority of Germans would like to see more women in STEM professions.
The male dominance in computer science
And yet the IT industry is having a hard time attracting the female gender. The image attached to computer science certainly contributes to this: closed-off areas dominated by nerds and technology freaks in dark, underground computer rooms. At the same time, the saying “girls can’t do math” still has its adherents, even among teachers and direct caregivers. Last but not least, there is thus a lack of female role models whose success stories attract young women to the IT sector and its diverse and lucrative professions.
Ways to more diversity
It is precisely these points that various initiatives are trying to address and increase diversity. For example, the industry association eco – Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V. supports the Girls’ Day campaign, where girls and young women can spend a day actively gaining experience in professions in the MINT sector, through the MINT – Zukunft schaffen initiative. At the same time, the LiT – Ladies in Tech program was launched.
This supports women in the IT sector and makes their professional successes visible to the outside world, in turn inspiring more girls and women to take up this branch of industry. Hopefully, the gender imbalance in IT will soon be a thing of the past.
Source coverimage: AdobeStock / Polarpx
AKTUELLE STORIES AUS IT & TECH
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