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In December of 2000, Techies.com reported that women in
technology jobs make 92 cents for every dollar that their
male counterparts earn. When all career fields are combined,
the 2000 U.S. Census data showed that women typically make
only 73 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts
earn. This difference can be significant for women.
Statistics released by the U.S. Department of Education
in 2000 demonstrate that women account for 56 percent of
college enrollments across the country. However, if women
are more likely to enroll in college, very few of them are
pursuing careers in technology. An article appearing in
January 2001 on CNN.com entitled “Working on the pay
gap: he clicked, she clicked” reported that women make
up only 20 percent of the work force for technology jobs.
Karla Villatoro, public relations coordinator at Women
in Technology International said, “I find that now
business programs are teaching a lot more soft skills –
a lot more conflict resolution and public speaking. Younger
women coming into technology have more of these soft skills
and viable companies are looking for people who have a broader
range of skills – not just technological skills.”
Beth Mendes-Reynolds, director of field recruitment and
training for the national office of ITT Technical Institutes
agrees, “The people who are just starting their careers
have the opportunity to develop more well-rounded skills
and may become increasingly valuable. Hopefully, women will
see these numbers and become more interested in careers
in technology.”
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