In line with earlier studies on the position of women in the IT industry, this year`s salary survey found that women make up a relatively small percentage of the total number of IT workers, and an even smaller percentage of management.
[CHART]Around 20% (632) of the IT professionals who responded to the survey questionnaire were women. Most of these women (75.8%) were white, with only 7.8% Indian, 7.6% black and 5.4% coloured. The number of white females to women of other colour groups was slightly higher than the overall proportion of white IT professionals.
By far the biggest proportion of women who responded (32.1%) were aged between 26 and 30. The second-highest group (22.9%) was aged 31 to 35, and 17.4% of the respondents were between 20 to 25 years old. Only 1.9% of the female respondents were older than 51.
The average income of female respondents was R18 130 per month. The average for men was R22 090 per month. This is essentially unchanged from a year ago, when women earned an average of R17 292 a month and men R21 492.
Less hours for women
[CHART]The survey found that men spend longer hours in the office than women. Nearly twice as many men as women worked 10 hours or more per day. Among women, the highest percentage (47.7%) worked between 5 and 8 hours a day. Among male respondents, the highest percentage (47.7%) worked 8 to 10 hours a day.
On questions relating to job satisfaction, female respondents rated challenge and responsibility as their main motivator - as did the overall majority of respondents. However, they tended to rate extra leave as more important than the overall sample did.
Leave rates above salary
[CHART]After 'challenge and responsibility` and 'career prospects`, women rated 'extra leave` as their third most important job satisfaction factor.
Extra leave was only 14th on the list of job satisfaction factors in the combined male-female survey. Women also rated a 'work from home` option fairly low on the list of job satisfaction factors.
Where the overall sample rated salary as fourth most important, women put salary fifth on their list. Women also tended to rate business travel as slightly more important than the overall sample did.
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