IT: need for more gender equality

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) President, Kiran Karnik, said here on Wednesday that a study by the association indicated that the percentage of women employed in the IT (information technology) and ITeS (IT-enabled Services) sectors might grow from 30 per cent to 45 per cent by 2010.
The male-female ratio was also expected to improve from 76:24 in 2006 to 65:35 by early 2008, he said.
Speaking at the Nasscom Women IT Leaders summit here, Mr. Karnik said, “There is a clear trend of more educated young women joining the industry because of progressive and flexible human resource management policies. IT does not require any gender-specific skills”.
Britannia Industries Managing Director, Vineeta Bali, said, “While competency will remain a basic skill for either gender, men in senior positions have to initiate changes needed for more gender equality. The industry should realise the vast talent pool in the form of women with necessary skills. Bobby Mitra, Managing Director, Texas Instruments-India, said “Within our organisation, women have filed for 25 patents in the U.S. over the last two years, meeting stringent criteria. Recently, a team led by a woman successfully completed a project that produced a chip twice the speed of a competitor”.
Jerry Rao, Chairman of MphasiS, said “Men in senior positions now need to realise how talented women staffers, if encouraged, can help the organisation. Sadly, even HR heads, who are women, do not recommend women for some senior positions. Managements on their part can meet some of the handicaps faced by women executives by providing training in communication skills such as making business presentations”.