Women in ICT who take up technical positions get paid up to 28% less than their male counterparts, according to a new study by ITCRA.

A new research paper titled, 'Women in ICT: discrimination starts with a stereotype,' draws on data from the ITCRA SkillsMatch database to show that certain roles in the sector attract more women, while other roles pay them less.

According to SkillsMatch, while ICT attracts a significant number of applications from younger women, the proportion varies greatly between role types. For example, women aged 25-34 years account for 13% of Help Desk/Support Technician applications, 33% for Business/Process Analyst roles, and 58% for ICT Trainer roles.

Julie Mills, CEO of ITCRA, said: "The SkillsMatch data supports public perception that the ICT industry has two types of roles: some traditionally masculine and others traditionally feminine."

The paper also reveals the impact of these gender divisions on ICT salaries. Overall, women in ICT receive 97 cents in the dollar in comparison to men (compared to 82 cents in the dollar in the general market).

However, the data shows that salaries are differentiated across the lines of what are considered male and female roles. For example, female ICT trainers are paid more than males ($73,000 compared to $77,000), but male ICT trades workers are paid more than females ($85,000 compared to $72,000).

"From a distance, it could be argued that there's no significant pay gap in the ICT sector, but when we look closer, it's clear both males and females are being actively encouraged into certain roles while simultaneously being actively discouraged from other roles, and this is entrenched by pay practices," Ms Mills said.

ITCRA cites the latest ABS unemployment figures to point out that gender is a pressing issue in the midst of an increasingly tight labour market.

"In March 2011, unemployment went down overall, but if you look more closely, it only fell for men - and actually increased for women. This could be due, in part, to increasing participation, but the fact is our economic growth is coming from a two-speed economy, where trades and technicians are in greater demand.

"If women aren't in these roles, they will be left behind in terms of pay and job prospects," Ms Mills said.
The ITCRA paper, which follows on from research into age discrimination in ICT, considers how gender differences surface in the industry, how women come to choose ICT as a vocation, and how the ICT industry unwittingly structures roles to be attractive or unattractive to males or females.

"The issue here isn't overt discrimination or the sinister intentions. Instead, it's a subtle process where certain attitudes and assumptions are leading women to some roles, and men to others - which is then reflected in pay gaps for particular sections of the industry. And while it doesn't appear to be intentional, that doesn't make it any less real," Ms Mills said.

Mills said that the ICT industry needs to consider how to respond to these challenges with a range of initiatives.

"Monitoring and publicising successes, managing challenges and developing workers' skills in recognising and addressing stereotypes in the workplace are all part of the solution."

The paper also suggests how ICT recruiters can help to break gender stereotyped assumptions with their clients in the workplace.

Mills added: "While gender stereotyping isn't something that ICT recruiters can directly combat, they can assist ICT employers in bringing about positive change in their workplaces. The recruitment industry has been discussing their role as talent managers for some time now - I hope this paper will create opportunity for those who partner with the ICT marketplace to demonstrate leadership with an ultimate goal of helping to deliver real change."