Women showing greater role in high technology

Female staffing on the increase in computer and software fields

Since the technology boom that started in the '90s and continues today, women have assumed more roles in the field of computer technology and software development.

The emergence of computer consulting and related fields have paved the way for women to become active in the technical job market.

Locally, several companies have seen a noticeable increase in the number of women interested and qualified for these types of professions.

Nina Rasmussen, technical recruiter for IT Strategies, a local consulting business, said the staffing at her company consists of 40 percent women.

"I've been involved in the computer industry since the mid-'80s," Rasmussen said. "I was a business analyst who went to school for data processing."

Involved in the industry since the days of the punch card, Rasmussen has seen the field expand into many branches and has also seen women's involvement grow. She accepted a position with IT Strategies about six years ago, and has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of female consultants hired by her company.

"There are many more than there were 10 years ago," Rasmussen said. "That may be because more women possess a math and business background. It may have started with the women's liberation movement in the late '60s. The field itself started to take off in the mid '70s. It's really come a long way since then."

Rasmussen also said since the field of computer programming and operations is so new, it has emerged as one of the few that is seemingly genderless in terms of compensation and perceived ability.

"The field really doesn't discriminate between men and women at all," she said. "I really think that this type of job removes the stigma. If you look at traditional roles in this field, it's equal footing. Some of the skills required for the jobs are multi-tasking and a business acumen, that both men and women possess."

Rasmussen said the field is perfect for women because it doesn't require competition between the sexes in any other aspect besides brain power. She has found in her six years of recruiting with IT Strategies that old-fashioned perceptions of women not possessing strong math or computing skills is a thing of the past.

"We have close to 50 white collar professionals, almost half of which are women," Rasmussen said. "There are just as many excellent female programmers and analysts as there are men."


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