Women and IT: Perfectly matched

The winds of globalization and outsourcing in India have ushered in changes not just for the economy but have also thrown open numerous opportunities for women. In fact, India has stolen a march over the US in terms of the number of women entering the IT industry.

The US is in fact grappling with a situation where fewer women are entering the industry. “In the US, I heard from some girls that their moms and grandmothers discouraged them from getting into the technology field because it is hard work. I find that in India, it is just the opposite,” says Nivruti Rai, the only woman principal engineer at Intel India, who relocated to India from the US recently. In the US, women workforce in IT has declined by 18.5 percent since 1996.

Increasing tribe of women

According to a recent NASSCOM study, the men- women ratio in the Indian software industry stands at 76:24. This ratio is expected to be 65:35 (men:women) by 2007. However, the percentage of women employed in the ITES/BPO space is far more-around 69 percent.

Sangeeta Gupta, vice president, NASSCOM says, "Clearly, women in IT are a reality today. As the IT-ITES sector moves forward, more and more women are joining the industry. Already, emerging markets such as the ITES-BPO segment are hiring more women than traditional IT services industry. The trend is likely to continue and in fact gain momentum. The current crop of successful women is sure to catalyze the women in IT movement, drawing even more talent into the fray.”

Multi-tasking: women's forte

The most challenging role that women in the IT industry play is not just related to work but more about balancing the natural responsibilities of home and family with that of work. This trait, it is believed makes women effective multi-taskers.

Many companies like IBM, Intel and Infosys to name a few, conduct forums internally to encourage their women employees to develop leadership abilities and aim higher. Last year, The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE)-the industry body that encourages entrepreneurship, started a women's forum to encourage the start-up culture among women techies.

A NASSCOM survey reveals that most women are very self confident, determined and immensely talented professionals and have managed to make their mark in the IT sector, owing to both hard and soft skills.

Some reasons why women prefer the field:

· Absence of gender dependent skills



· Riding on the strength of communication, women are intrinsically suited to work within the IT-ITES industry


· Women have been a part of the industry from the beginning which helps them attain an at-par status with their male counterparts


· Skills that come intrinsically to women, and are important in the industry are multitasking and collaborative team play


· The sector provides flexibility in working hours, and hence is friendly to women employees, who need to juggle with career aspirations and home