Concerns

Although most companies in South Africa have affirmative action policies, the low number of non-white respondents (17 percent) is a matter of concern. Another area of concern is the low number of respondents (1 percent) in the over-45 age category. This is the age-group where many employees (men) are in senior management and decision making positions and it would be very unfortunate if the IT-Industry is losing women when they have a wealth of experience. The low percentage of women in this category could explain the low number of women in senior management positions in the industry. This is consistent with global trends. In Ahuja, (2002) it is reported that both trade journals and academic research indicate that women in the IT industry fields are concentrated at the lower and middle levels in corporations and are under-represented at the higher levels. Insufficient networking and the lack of female role models are two further areas of concern, as both are important tools for obtaining information, sharing experiences and building camaraderie, which are essential for climbing the corporate ladder.