I've been involved in a lot of discussions with IT women that address
this question, but usually from the periphery. That is, someone will
post a message about behavior (in, say, a job interview) that's a turn-
off, making the woman decide that this company is probably not a good
choice for a woman who wants to get ahead, or for one who just wants
to enjoy her job.
But I've been thinking about this, particularly as I continue in the
series of articles I've been writing about Women in IT for CIO.com,
such as "The Executive Woman's Guide to Mentoring" (
http://www.cio.com/article/187300
). I'm planning to write another article, this time with more input
from both IT women and men (not just CIOs, though I expect I'll get
some input from them), looking for the attributes/behaviors that a
smart company can adopt to make itself more attractive to women.
I want to make this largely about POSITIVE things that companies can
do -- not just the painful anecdotes. Certainly, there will be value
in mentioning the turn-offs. But it'd be ideal if I could enumerate "7
ways to make your company more attractive to IT women" -- the "DO
THIS" not just "DO NOTs."
For instance, one obvious attraction is flexible work options (which
obviously appeals to both genders, but certainly is a Plus for women
with small children).
Anyway -- I'm hereby collecting input. Ideally you can share your
name, company, and position with me. Private messages are fine, though
I dare say there's value to be had by making this a public discussion.
I have a fair amount of input already, but I hope to collect a little
bit more by Monday, so I hope you can contribute. Starting Monday,
I'll compile and turn into an article that, I hope, may make life just
a little bit easier for techie women and the men who work with them.
I'll also let y'all know when the article is posted.
Esther Schindler
(in her devilish disguise as senior online editor, CIO.com)
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