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According to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the number of women resigning from IT jobs has increased in 2006, probably because the pay gap between men and women widened for the first time in the last eleven years.



The study, conducted in collaboration with Remuneration Economics, reveals that 5.7% of UK’s women having a job in the IT industry resigned in 2006, which represents a 2.9% increase compared to 2005. Regarding pay issues, the situation is worsening. In 2006, women got a 2.9% salary increase while their male counterparts enjoyed a 3.1% increase.



But it seems that women are getting increasingly aware of this pay gap. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Equal Pay says that more than 50% of women working in the IT sector think they are less paid than male for a similar job. 35% of those interviewed only believe this is the case while 20% can demonstrate they are worse paid. These numbers rose by 5% and 9% respectively compared to the previous survey, meaning women pay more attention to this topic.



What is a bit reassuring is that younger women are less hesitant when it comes to negotiate a pay rise than older ones. Although we are still far from equality, with three-quarters of women surveyed by the University of Salford declaring they found it difficult to simply ask for a salary increase, female workers are more easily going into court than before. The number of equal pay case in the UK more than doubled between 2005 and 2006, rising from 12,393 to 27,497.



Let’s go on with some positive news. According to the CMI study, female managers in the IT industry normally enjoy faster promotion than men and are more likely to receive a bonus. But this is not sufficient to prevent the “female drain” that is taking place in IT companies. According to Intellect, the percentage of women in the IT sector has fallen to 16% in the UK. This lack of diversity will be one of the central topics of the next IBITS ICT Forum in Ljubljana.



“They go and find alternative careers and possibly move outside the IT industry. They will gravitate to those organizations and institutions which offer an equitable environment” said Gillian Arnold, sales manager at IBM. And this is exactly what it is all about: equity and transparency. If IT firms want to fill the skill gap in the IT industry they have to listen to women’s wishes.



First of all, 64% of respondents to the Salford study believe the methods regarding salaries in IT enterprises are not transparent. 75% of surveyed women declared they would be more likely to work for a firm which conducts an Equal Pay audit. Unfortunately, only 4% of the companies studied have already undertaken the implementation of such a measure.



Another important claim by women is flexible working. Introducing different possible ways of working might help retaining more women in the IT industry, “Sharing out flexible working with men is really, really important”, said Shelia Wild, employment policy director at the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). She added equal pay is not only a matter of principle but has real impact on women’s everyday life, starting with a smaller pension to retire on.