Despite an optimistic outlook, Tasmania still has a way to go to get more women into the IT industry.
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New research has revealed 37 per cent of senior Australian IT executives surveyed believe women will hold an equal employment share in the industry in future.
Currently only 31 per cent of the IT sector nationally is made up of women, and the statistics are similar in Tasmania according to industry body Tas ICT CEO William Kestin.
Mr Kestin said this leads to gender inequality in the development of technology.
“If you’ve got 70 per cent of an industry that are men developing applications for 50 per cent of the work force that are women you're going to find that we need that gender perspective because men and women think differently,” he said.
Mr Kestin believes this will change, but the industry still has a long way to go.
Tasmanian tech company The Yield is leading the way, employing 65 per cent women.
“It’s an industry which historically has been a bit of a boys club ... I think there is definitely a shift towards women being more included, but it’s a slow process as it is in any industry,” The Yield business development manager Clare Rutherford said.
Despite this, Ms Rutherford is hopeful and believes the IT industry, largely being made up of small companies, is well placed to step up to the plate.
“The great thing about small companies is their ability to be agile and to change to move with the times,” she said.
The research revealed the biggest perceived barrier for women entering the sector was challenging existing stereotypes.
Ms Rutherford said the industry has traditionally had a male dominated image, which has put women off.
“Girls are actively choosing not to be part of the IT industry because of the image of the industry,” she said.
Creating an environment where women feel valued and can contribute to their full potential is key in upping their numbers in the industry Ms Rutherford thinks.
She thinks the key point is to promote diversity the industry.
“It's hugely valuable just to have diversity as a core value in any business, it's not necessarily about saying, ‘Bring women in’ but it's about saying, ‘Bring as many people as you can in’, who have different perspectives who can really question the status quo and help to find the best solution,” she said.