Women in IT website attracts 100,000 hits

Recruitment firm McGregor Boyall Associates has launched a website aimed at women already in the IT industry or those seeking to work in the sector.

The Women In Technology site was first fired up in March but is now relaunching with a jobs database, partly in response to interest from firms including Citibank, Lehman Brothers and HBOS in attracting more women to their current vacancies. 

Maggie Berrry, a spokeswoman for the site, said: "Women only make up around 20 per cent of the IT workforce and are more likely to leave than men, so we hope this site will promote issues to change that."

Berry explained that such a site is attractive to employers because they increasingly have a 'diversity' agenda which includes goals for recruiting more women.

While she admits that the site is seen by some as advertising jobs only to women, Berry stressed that men can apply as well. "It is only the content that is aimed exclusively at women," she said.

Recent figures from the Department of Trade and Industry suggest that 80 per cent of the workforce growth will be among women by 2010.

Berry said that a gender imbalance is a matter of urgency for UK companies. "If it becomes law that a certain percentage of a company's workforce has to be women, this would add further pressure to companies to have a clearer diversity programme," she said.