OU research addresses the shortage of women in IT in the UK

Strategies to address the shortage of women in IT in the UK, will be presented by OU researchers at an event in London on 20 March.

According to research by OU academics, the Indian IT sector has been highly successful in recruiting women to work in the sector and this experience can help inform strategies to address the UK market.

Lead OU researchers, Dr Clem Herman, Senior Lecturer in Computing and Communications and Parvati Raghuram, Professor of Geography and Migration, are coming to the end of a two-year research project which explored why there is a lack of women working in highly-skilled roles in the UK tech sector. The team has compared the UK and India, looking at the employment of women in this industry in both countries.

The academics (together with Research Associates Dr Gunjan Sondhi and Dr Esther Ruiz-Ben), along with project partners including the British Computer Society, TechLondon Advocates, techUK and NASSCOM, will present their findings at the breakfast seminar: What can the UK learn from India to bridge the IT skills gap?.

The opening remarks will be given by The Open University’s Chancellor, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, who is leading a high level campaign called Dot Everyone, a London-based think tank staffed by researchers, designers, technologists, and makers, that aims to increase the numbers and retention of women in technology jobs in the UK. The results of this research project will provide timely evidence and case studies to help support this strategy.

OU Chancellor Martha Lane-Fox said: “We really need to put women at the heart of the technology sector so I applaud this important research which can help us understand why there is such a gender imbalance in the UK’s IT industry.

Ultimately I hope it will help us achieve a cohort of female coders, designers and creators who can help transform the UK and give us that much-needed global edge.”

Watch the video below to learn more about the focus of the project:

What can the UK learn from India to bridge the IT skills gap? will take place at techUK, 10 Saint Bride Street, London EC4A 4AD from 08:00-10:00 on Tuesday 20 March 2018.

Register for the event

Read more about the OU research into women in IT.