FITT - Females in Information Technology

Some feedback and discussion points from a conversation with Maggie Alexander at FITT (Females in Information Technology):

Enough research has been done to validate all of those conclusions. The issue is what do about it. We know why these things happen and there are various initiatives (eg Digi-Girls, a TAFE initiative and various university recruitment programs) that help women to get into IT careers and the AIIA (The Australian Information Industry Association) is working at a national level to try to help to retain women in the industry.

Early influences: Typically girls are not encouraged to investigate and to pull things apart in the same way that boys are so that while women do like technology, fewer are interested in how it is made. We find that decisions about what people are going to do with their careers are usually made in year 10 – if you can’t influence girls by year ten they won’t necessarily take up an IT career unless by chance later on.

Financial drivers: There is more money in the ‘business’ side of technology, than in a hands on IT career, so that some women naturally gravitate out of a technical role as their career progresses.

Cultural aspects: While Australia may be struggling to bring women into IT careers, other countries have been very successful indeed. India, Russia, China, to name just three, have been successful at bringing women into technical careers.

FITT conduct regular surveys (results available through their website) on their website and also host numerous networking events.