Almost One-Third of Women in IT Experience an Unwelcoming Work Environment Compared to Seven Percent of Men, Harvey Nash Women in Technology Survey Finds

Women and men struggle equally with work/life balance and high
pressure job demands

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#survey–Twenty-nine percent of women in the IT field experience an unwelcoming
work environment to women and minorities, compared to only seven percent
of men who feel the same way, according to the 2016
Harvey Nash Women in Technology survey. Survey results reveal long
hours, high pressure and poor work/life balance impact men and women
fairly equally. However, when it comes to opportunities for advancement,
more than one-third of women (37 percent) cite a challenge in this area,
compared to just one-fifth (20 percent) of men. Further, the more tenure
a woman has in IT, the more likely she is to list lack of advancement
opportunities as a major challenge.

The inaugural survey of more than 600 women and men in technology was
conducted in partnership with ARA,
an organization whose goal is to Attract, Retain and Advance women in
technology, and highlights the current state of affairs, challenges and
opportunities for women working in IT.

“The survey reveals incredible insight into how both women and men
experience the challenges of working in IT,” said Harvey
Nash USAPAC President and CEO Bob Miano. “Women and men feel the
same stresses in many areas, including balancing work with outside
responsibilities, and keeping up with evolving skills needed to do their
jobs. But when it comes to opportunities for advancement and a culture
that embraces women and minorities, we see a big divide. There is much
opportunity for companies to improve inclusion and advancement of women
throughout their organizational levels.”

Leslie Vickrey, Co-founder of ARA, said, “The survey results reveal 78
percent of these companies lack a formal program to advance women in
technology roles. We’ve found many companies have good intentions and
want to do the right thing, but progress often breaks down between
intention and execution. When companies commit to holistically
incorporating diversity into their business, it leads to recruiting
better talent, higher retention, and more innovation. Diversity has a
direct correlation to success.”

Additional key findings from the 2016 Harvey Nash Women in Technology
survey conducted in partnership with ARA include:

The Rewards of Working in Tech

• Men and women both rank challenging work as the number one most
  rewarding aspect of working in technology (58 and 59 percent,
  respectively).
• However, more than half of men (52 percent) indicate that compensation
  is a rewarding aspect, compared to just over a third of women (35
  percent).
• Women rank the ability to be creative and innovative and variety of
  work, as the second and third most rewarding parts of a career in IT,
  respectively.

Work/Life Balance

• Men feel the same stress as women when it comes to work/life balance.
  Thirty percent of women and 25 percent of men believe responsibilities
  outside of work have slowed their career.
• Similar proportions of men and women (26 and 28 percent, respectively)
  believe having families has made them more driven to succeed.

The Value of Mentorships

• Almost half of women in technology (47 percent) have not had access to
  a mentor, compared to only 36 percent of men.
• Men appear to place more value in mentorships (33 percent find them
  extremely helpful, compared to 26 percent of women).

Early Interest in Tech

• Twenty-two percent of men became interested in tech in elementary
  school, compared to 7 percent of women.
• College is more critical for developing future women in IT, with 31
  percent of women indicating that’s when their interest started,
  compared to 23 percent of men.
• More than two-thirds of all respondents (67 percent) say more needs to
  be done in high school and college to encourage women to enter the IT
  field.
• Over half of all respondents (53 percent) say corporate policies of
  inclusiveness are important in increasing the number of women in IT.

What Women Can Do to Advance

• Based on their own career journey, women and men suggest the best way
  for a woman to advance in her career is to be confident (reported by
  66 percent and 57 percent, respectively).
• Following opportunities related to what she is most passionate about
  ranks second, and not getting discouraged at stumbling blocks ranks
  third.
• Defining what you want and asking for it also ranks high on the list
  (women 56 percent and men 45 percent).

Top Reasons Tech Professionals Leave their Jobs
for Another

• Overall

1. Unsupportive environment (36 percent)

2. No opportunities for advancement (34 percent)

3. More salary/compensation (29 percent)

4. Unfair treatment by team or manager (23 percent)

5. Better work/life balance (22 percent)

• Men rank more salary/compensation as their number one reason (36
  percent).
• Women rank an unsupportive environment as their number one reason (38
  percent).

Aspirations to the C-suite

• Women in technology are more likely to aspire to be COO (15 percent)
  compared to men (6 percent), and CDO (7 percent, compared to 1 percent
  of men).
• Men are more focused on the role of CTO (23 percent) compared to women
  (16 percent) and CEO (14 percent men compared to 8 percent women).

For more information about the survey or to request a copy of the survey
report, please email awarren@clearedgemarketing.com
or click
here.

About the Survey

The 2016 Harvey Nash Women in Technology survey was conducted in
partnership with ARA. The survey of more than 600 women and men was
conducted between July 31 and September 16, 2016, and surveyed IT
professionals from junior level to the c-suite. Respondents represent
small, mid and large-sized companies across a broad range of industries.

About Harvey Nash Inc.

Harvey Nash Inc. is the U.S. division of the Harvey Nash Group, a global
professional recruitment firm and IT outsourcing service provider traded
on the London Stock Exchange since 1997. Harvey Nash has helped over
half the world’s leading companies recruit, source and manage the highly
skilled talent they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive,
global and technology driven world. With 7,000 experts in 43 offices
across Europe, Asia and North America, Harvey Nash has the reach and
resources of a global organization, and it fosters a culture of
innovation and agility that empowers all employees across the world to
respond to constantly changing client needs. Harvey Nash works with
clients, both big and small, to deliver a portfolio of services: IT
recruitment, IT outsourcing/offshoring and executive search. To learn
more, please visit www.harveynashusa.com.
Follow us: www.twitter.com/harveynashusa
and www.facebook.com/harveynashusa.

About ARA

ARA is committed to attracting, retaining and advancing women in
technology roles. By cultivating relationships via mentorship, events
and programs, ARA helps businesses bolster the numbers and influence of
women working and advancing in technology, while helping women navigate
IT career paths and challenges. To learn more, please visit www.aramentors.com.
Follow us: www.twitter.com/aramentors
and www.facebook.com/aramentors.

Contacts

ClearEdge Marketing
Ann Warren, +1 (770) 328-8384
awarren@clearedgemarketing.com