Gender discrimination ‘a problem’ in the IT sector

Posted 27/03/2011

Gender discrimination has been identified as a problem in the IT sector.

According to a study by recruitment firm Greythorn, 85 per cent of female workers in the industry feel that sexism is rife, with 70 per cent saying that they feel they cannot achieve their full potential as a result.

Furthermore, more than half of respondents reported experiencing sex-based discrimination themselves, but 60 per cent of both male and female workers said they would not speak out or do anything about it.

Currently, only 24 per cent of employees in IT are women.

Paul Winchester, managing director of Greythorn, said the industry needs to get rid of this “Stone Age attitude”.

“Sexism has to be actively stamped out of the workplace and those who blithely accept it are just as much to blame as people who actively discriminate,” he added.

It is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 for a person to be discriminated against because of their sex, but figures from the Fawcett Society state that women working full-time are paid 15.5 per cent less on average than their male counterparts.