Same shift, different pay

It seems members of the 'fairer' sex, although proving themselves worthy time and again in business, just aren't taking proprietorship of the corner office. Women are hardly ever spotted in the high-ranking positions that their male counterparts so easily dominate.

I've taken many risks along the way and started many new ventures. It's up to each woman to take control of her destiny.

Michele McCann, Teraco Data Environments

In her manifesto, recently appointed COO of Facebook Sheryl Kara Sandberg addresses what she calls one of the world's biggest problems: a lack of women in power. In her book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sandberg describes all sorts of reasons why women don't hold equal power to men. Sandberg's main reason, though, is this: women are taught to keep themselves out of power, so they limit their own ambitions and sabotage their careers.

This is borne out in the lack of women in top business leadership positions.

"In the last few years, the IT industry has definitely seen an increase in women taking on positions they weren't previously considered for," says Juliette Attwell, head of marketing and operations at Recruitgroup. "However, the change isn't nearly significant enough to make a massive difference in the industry. I think the lack of advancement is not due to poor performance or lack of capability but more thanks to employer and candidate stereotypes within certain corporate companies."

When it comes to careers in IT, women still hit that much-lamented glass ceiling. "Women in business operate differently to their male colleagues, and people are afraid of the change and diversity we bring to an organisation," says Zaynab Leeya, lead consultant at ThoughtWorks. "It's a misrepresentation of women to say that they're unable to 'hack it' in a man's world. Most organisations' leadership committees are run by men and they tend to mostly look for a person they would consider a peer, someone they can identify with, which, unfortunately for women, means a man of similar background and upbringing."

"I've been bypassed for a couple of roles during my career and the candidate deemed suitable was always male," adds Kgomotso Sediane, general manager of ThoughtWorks South Africa. "Even when there was expressed concern from the people who worked with both me and the other candidate, the decision to take on a man seemed fair in the eyes of the decision-makers. My being a mother was used as an excuse not to afford me the opportunity."

Michele McCann, business development manager for NAPAfrica at Teraco Data Environments and the peering co-ordinator for NAPAfrica of Teraco Data Environments, disagrees that there's a gender bias. She believes success in any industry, even the male-dominated IT space, comes down to dedication.

"There's room to grow within this industry," says McCann. "Each day brings variety and there are many exciting challenges for anyone working in IT. However, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve the goals you have set out for yourself, no matter your gender; you work hard to reap the rewards."

According to McCann, dedication to her career is what has yielded her the success she enjoys today.

"I started my career in administration," she says. "I worked hard to grow into the management role I hold today. I've taken many risks along the way and started many new ventures. It's up to each woman to take control of her destiny."

"I would say the IT industry has a stigma," says ThoughtWorks' Leeya. "It's seen as an industry that isn't very creative and doesn't facilitate women in the workplace. Unfortunately, IT doesn't appeal to women for a number of reasons.

"One of the biggest inhibitors is the lack of understanding of opportunities available in the industry. Second is the reputation of IT being a male-dominated, geeky environment that's not much fun. But women belong in this industry as much as men do and together we need to work towards that change."

Teraco's McCann admits that IT has an image problem. "Being a woman in IT is not always seen as particularly elegant, so it might not necessarily appeal to all women," she says. "Also, working alongside men in a male-dominated environment tends to have its own challenges for women."

For over a decade, ITWeb's annual salary survey has found the IT industry to be favourably skewed towards men, as male respondents have repeatedly reported higher average salary packages than their female counterparts. Overall, men have reported a 25-percent higher average, a result of more men occupying the highest-paying IT and management jobs.

ITWeb's annual salary survey has found the IT industry to be favourably skewed towards men.

One anonymous response from the salary survey states that between men and women, there's no equality when it comes to the salaries earned: "In the beginning, we all set off with the same salaries and for the next ten years, it's mostly equal. Then people turn 30 and start having families. Men won't go for low-paying jobs as they see themselves as the breadwinners. If they're not making enough, they move until their salary needs are met.

"Some women want to settle down. They want a nice working environment where they can take three months maternity leave but still come back and have their jobs."

"We're not vocal enough about girls being techies and subliminally, we encourage the 'homemaker' label," says ThoughtWorks' Sediane. "We need to speak up and advocate for a change in mentality."

"The days of playing homemaker are gone," adds McCann. "Times are tough and in our digital age, basic techie skills are a requirement for all women. There are definitely less women seeking IT qualifications, which obviously impacts the proportion of females that are employed as IT professionals.

"But educating women means educating the next generation. Female students in Africa should be encouraged to take IT-related subjects, so those who aren't even in the IT industry are still able to apply IT concepts to their daily lives."

Ostensibly, the jury is out on whether women have a fighting chance in the IT industry. Some say their chances at success are similar to their male peers, others feel they've had to work much harder. Perhaps we should keep the famous words of Timothy Leary in mind when dealing with inequality in the workplace: "Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

First published in the April 2014 issue of ITWeb Brainstorm magazine.