Engendering the Knowledge Society: Measuring Women's Participation

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Engendering the Knowledge Society Measuring
Women's Participation

• Philip DesAutels, Academic Evangelist

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• Im pondering a problem and need YOUR help.

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Women Information TechnologyBy The Numbers
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There are huge problems

• Only 10.6 percent of the top tier executives at
  computer companies in the Fortune 500 are women
  compared to 11.1 percent at non-computer
  companies. Women make up 8.4 percent of the
  boards of directors of these companies, compared
  with 9.5 percent of the boards of non-computer
  companies.
• Women receive more than half the number of
  bachelors degrees in biology, and over 40 of
  the Ph.D.s in the life sciences. In chemistry,
  women receive nearly half the undergraduate
  degrees, and over 25 of Ph.D.s in the physical
  sciences. However, they receive only about 21 of
  the degrees in engineering, and only 20 of
  degrees in computer science and technology.

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But There are also HUGE opportunities
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OMG -0There isnt anybody to fill the jobs!
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Who cares there are no jobs!
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But Wait! We need people!!!
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Whats really going on?

• The number of technology jobs is INCREASING
• The number of jobs that require IT skills is
  RAPIDLY increasing
• The line between information society and the
  broader knowledge society is GONE
• ICT skills as an END ?I CT Skills as a MEANS
• Services, user generated content, revolution of
  the cheap and the diffusion of IT are all
  BREAKING the rules!

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My hypothesis and proposal

• Women need the access to information, and then
  they need to be creators of that information and
  the infrastructure it is delivered on.
• There is a new and emerging market for a new type
  of IT skilled worker.
• We should keep working to make changes in the
  existing market, BUT, we should actively
  understand and capitalize on this new opportunity
  that is presented to us.

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What are we doing?

• Supporting efforts to improve the existing market
  (CS/IT)
• Building national programs that address the new
  market opportunity
• Learning

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Teen Voices, Aug 07CAITE Project, UMASS Amherst
Job Shadow Day Microsoft, Feb07
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Questions for the audience

• Disclaimer I believe that my model is true for
  developed economies, it appears to be true for
  emerging economies, I do not know with respect to
  developing economies.
• Do you buy this?
• What should we be doing?
• There is an opportunity to leverage the paradigm
  shift.
• We need data to describe the opportunity.

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