Dive Brief:
- Last year, more female CIOs received pay raises than their male counterparts for the first time, reports Information Age. According to the results of a joint global survey from Harvey Nash and KPMG, 42% of women CIOs received pay raises compared to 32% of men.
- The results also reveal salary increases for women across many technology sectors, dispelling the notion that last year's pay raises for women were a fluke, Information Age says. Salary increases for women were highest in both the financial services/banking and business/professional services sectors.
- Still, only 9% of IT leadership positions worldwide are held by women, according to the report, while over a third of companies have formal diversity programs in place within their IT departments.
Dive Insight:
Aside from the statistics about pay raises, the study didn't compare salaries between women and men CIOs. That information would be useful in determining whether pay gaps are at all closing in IT — and in the tech industry generally.
Nevertheless, the results are positive news for women throughout IT, indicating that CIOs weren't discriminated against in the form of being denied pay increases in greater numbers than men. A separate study revealed that pay gaps can be nondiscriminatory when bonuses and other pay variables are added to base pay, even though fewer women received bonuses than men.
As Information Age points out, the industry still struggles with perceptions that it is male dominated. White and Asian males currently make up the majority of employees in tech companies. Employers who want to shake that image must be serious about attracting, hiring and retaining more women. Promoting women in tech to managerial and executive positions is a good place to start.
Fortunately, a few success stories have managed to crop up despite harassment and discrimination controversies. Employers would do well to follow the methods of tech firms like Accenture, which recently announced that 43% of its workforce consisted of women.
