Women and Leadership in IM/IT. Summary - What We Heard Report

This report summarizes the keys findings on challenges, successes and personal experiences of women occupying leadership roles in Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT).

The full What We Heard Report and question-by-question analysis can be made available upon request EDSC.DGIIT.StrategieTI-ITStrategy.IITB.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

This research was endorsed by: Dinesh Mohan, Director General of Strategy, Architecture and Business Relations and Susan Donovan-Brown, Director General of Business Operations Sustainability and Leader of Women in IT Network (WIT) in the Innovation, Information and Technology Branch (IITB).

Study and report by: Leigh Gardner and Elmina Iusifova

Table of Content

• Executive summary
• Context
  • Goals and objectives
  • Endorsement and consultations
  • Methodology
    • Table 1 - Research, timeline, and participant breakdown
    • Table 2 - Definitions
    • Response scales (Likert scales)
    • Participants
    • Answer analysis
• Literature and statistics
  • Canadian literature, studies, and statistics
  • Global statistics, research, and background on Women in Technology (from Chic Geek)
  • Government of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada Statistics
    • Government of Canada - Federal Public Service
    • Employment and Social Development Canada - Innovation, Information and Technology Branch
      • Employee level
      • Executive level
• Public vs private sector comparison
  • Similarities
    • Workplace environment and experience
    • Equal pay
    • Leadership
    • Vacation
    • Mental health
    • Career development and succession
  • Differences
    • Education level and educational background
    • IM/IT (or STEM) influence
    • Salary and bonus
    • Children and career impact
• Areas for improvement and next steps
  • Areas for improvement
  • Next steps
• Closing remarks

Executive summary

Over the course of 2022, the IT Strategy team undertook a study to further understand the challenges, successes and personal experiences of women occupying leadership roles, in the Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) workplace. This report summarizes what we heard from women leaders in both the public and private sector in IM/IT. In total, twenty participants were interviewed: ten from various private sector companies (e.g., Deloitte, Amazon, IBM and more) and ten from the public service, specifically within Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

The purpose of this study is to collect information to inform the development of strategies and initiatives to support women in IM/IT and improve gender diversity. This report aims to reflect the ideas and perspectives raised by participants throughout the study.

Engagement with participants took place through a series of one-on-one interviews to collect responses to thirty questions surrounding:

1. Background (e.g., education, age range, years of experience to become an executive);
2. Workplace environment and experience;
3. Leadership; and
4. Advice and guidance for women in IM/IT.

Participant responses provided insightful information on personal experiences of working in a male-dominated field and becoming a leader in IM/IT. Overall, the information collected is consistent with current data, statistics, and literature on women in IM/IT, demonstrating that more work can be done to increase the representation of women in IM/IT and improve workplace experiences in this domain.

This report details all aspects of the study including the methodology, supporting literature, statistics, and participant responses. It also includes a comparison of public and private sector responses, a list of areas for improvement and next steps as well as a five-pillar strategy on how ESDC can better support women in IM/IT and improve gender diversity.

Context

This report provides a summary of the findings from a series of one-on-one interviews with twenty female leaders in Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT). It outlines the challenges, successes, and personal experiences of working in a male-dominated field.

The findings set the direction for the development of strategies, initiatives, and activities to support women working in a male-dominated field and improve diversity in the workplace. Information and data from this report can be used by teams throughout ESDC to better understand challenges, successes, and personal experiences of women in IM/IT. This information will also help those who are interested in knowing how to support women in IM/IT and develop meaningful strategies/initiatives that will improve work environments for women as well as others.

Goals and objectives

The goal is to use the information collected to:

• find ways to support women in a male-dominated work environment, and improve diversity overall;
• develop strategies and/or initiatives to recruit, retain and carve out succession pathways for women in IM/IT;
• raise awareness to some of the challenges faced by women in the workplace, and specifically in IM/IT; and
• look at ways to improve gender distribution in IM/IT.

The objective of this study is to collect information on challenges, successes, and personal experiences of women in leadership roles in IM/IT. In short, the study will collect information on:

• role models and mentors in IM/IT;
• day-to-day work experience in a male-dominated field, IM/IT;
• career growth and professional development;
• salary and pay (e.g., bonuses);
• public sector (ESDC-IITB) and private sector (industry);
• work-life balance; and
• leadership.

Endorsement and consultations

This research has been endorsed and supported by Dinesh Mohan, Director General of Strategy, Architecture and Business Relations and Susan Donovan-Brown, Director General of Business Operations Sustainability and Leader of Women in IT Network in IITB.

The following divisions were consulted to prepare this study:

• ESDC Values & Ethics (V&E) - confirmed this study aligns with ESDC’s code of conduct and V&E principles
• ESDC & IITB Information Management - recommended the information collected throughout this study be stored in ESDC’s corporate repository (SharePoint) with a retention period of 10 years
• ESDC Privacy Management Division - reviewed and provided guidance on conducting research and sharing information
• ESDC Social Policy Division - provided instruction on research ethics and conducting studies with humans

Methodology

Women in information technology (IT) has been a theme in the workplace for several years. After learning that women remain a minority in the IM/IT domain, several programs, initiatives, and activities have taken place in both the private and public sector to encourage women to enter and remain in IM/IT. This study outlines what progress has been made thus far, and what areas can still be improved. The table below outlines the research, timeline, and participant breakdown of this study.

Table 1 - Research, timeline, and participant breakdown

Table 2 - Definitions

STEM: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

IM/IT: Information Management/Information Technology

Woman: a person whose reported gender is female (including cisgender, a person whose reported gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth)

Executives:

• Internal participant - Public Sector (ESDC): EX-02 level and above
• External participant - Private Sector (various private sector companies): V-level management (Vice Presidents (VPs) and Senior Vice Presidents (SVPs) who report to C-level management); and/or C-suite Executives or Partners: Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Data Officer (CDO) etc.

Harassment is defined as repeated and persistent behaviours towards an individual to torment, undermine, frustrate, or provoke a reaction from that person.

Abuse is defined as a behaviour that scares, isolates, or controls another person. Abuse may be a pattern or a single incident.

Micro-aggression is defined as a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

Impostor syndrome refers to an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be.

Response scales (Likert scales)

Participants

This study focused on a particular group of people: women in leadership roles, in IM/IT; therefore, only those who identified as a “woman” and occupied a leadership role participated. More specifically, a “leadership role” was defined as occupying a position in either of the executive echelons outlined above in Table 2. In total, twenty participants were interviewed; ten internal and ten external participants.

Internal participants were canvassed according to IITB’s organizational chart, and where participation in IITB was limited, one participant was canvassed in the Strategic and Service Policy Branch (SSPB).

External participants were canvassed randomly through personal connections and networks. All participants in this study reside and work in Canada.

Participation in this study was voluntary.

Answer analysis

Answers from participants were logged anonymously and were analyzed for patterns, typical and atypical insights, levels of agreement, and degrees of emotion (positive/negative). Answers were then used to outline areas for improvement and to develop a comprehensive set of next steps.

Literature and statistics

Canadian literature, studies, and statistics

Literature sources, studies and statistics reviewed for this study included, but were not limited to:

• The Facts about Women and Leadership in Canada Women make up just over half of the Canadian population yet continue to be underrepresented in political and professional leadership positions.
• Women in tech World 25% of Canada’s tech industry is women, and of that, only 13% are sitting in executive level positions. Even fewer (5%) hold the title of CEO.
• Chic Geek Women in Technology
• Women in the workplace 2022 (Mckinsey)
• Wanted: More Women in Tech (McKinsey)
• Task Force on Women in the Economy
• Gender Equity in Canada’s Tech Ecosystem
• Building an inclusive world: Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• What’s up with gender and technology in the public service?

As of 2019, the public service only has 25% women working in the Computer Science (CS) field.

Global statistics, research, and background on Women in Technology (from Chic Geek)

• Women are underrepresented in technology, holding less than 25% of computing roles - something that hasn’t changed in the past ten years.
• In Canada, women represent 47% of the total workforce, but only represent 28% - 31% of the Information and - - Communication Technology workforce.
• It’s estimated that 1 million women are leaving technology roles and if we could reduce attrition by just one-quarter, it would keep 220,000 women in science, engineering, and technology roles.
• Attrition spikes among women ages 35-40 as 52% of mid-career technical women leave their companies. This is called the Fight-or-Flight Moment and research shows that women are twice as likely to leave as their male counterparts.
• The cost of turnover in technical roles averages $144,000 USD per employee for full replacement costs which includes lost productivity, recruiting costs, salary, etc.
• The diversity women bring to the table creates more innovate, productive teams and drive bottom line results.
• But why are women leaving tech? Some assume that women are leaving to start families and are seeking more work-life balance. Chic Geek’s research shows that’s not the case. Women are dedicated to their careers, passionate about making an impact in their work. The number one reason women are leaving is because they can’t see a path to advancement.
• A study conducted by Indeed found that the biggest reason women leave their technology jobs is attributed to lack of career growth. This was echoed in our own research where lack of career visibility came up over and over again as a barrier for women in technology.
• Isolation is another reason women are leaving technology. When a woman is the only woman on a team or at a site, it makes it difficult to find support or sponsorship.
• A study by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company found that for engineers, 40% of women in senior and technical roles are “only’s,” which are defined as the only woman on their team or in the room. When women are “only’s” they are 1.5x more likely to consider leaving a profession because biases are more pronounced.
• It’s critical for women invest in building their networks because up to 85% of jobs and open positions are filled by networking.

Government of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada Statistics

Government of Canada - Federal Public Service

Data provided by Treasury Board Secretariat (2022)

Public service representation of women in IT category

• Women represent 24% of the IT occupational group while men represent 76%
• Representation of women is lowest at the IT-04 and IT-05 levels

Employment and Social Development Canada - Innovation, Information and Technology Branch

Data provided by ESDC Workforce and Workplace Analytics (2023)

Employee level

Innovation, Information and Technology Branch (IITB) representation of women in the IT category

• Women represent 27.6% of the IT occupational group while men represent 72.2%.

Executive level

IITB executive representation

Groups less than 6 are suppressed for privacy restrictions

• Women remain underrepresented at the EX-02 level. Other levels have not been disclosed.

Public vs private sector comparison

Overall, the findings from this study show more similarities than differences between public sector (internal participants) and private sector (external participants). Many participants in this study held a lot of the same views, opinions and beliefs on IM/IT work environment and experience, equal pay, leadership, vacation, mental health, and career development/succession.

In contrast, there were some differences between participants on level of education and educational background, IM/IT (or STEM) influence, and salaries and bonuses.

The following section distills some of the key similarities and differences between participants throughout this study.

Similarities

Workplace environment and experience

In reviewing responses to questions 61, 72 and 83, internal and external participants shared several similarities. Many described their work environments as being male dominated upon joining, but when they joined, they felt welcomed and respected.

As participants proceeded to answer question 7, many paused and thought about previous situations within their careers where they described occurrences of being disadvantaged and/or discriminated against. As well, the vast majority participants indicated they themselves had been a victim of harassment, abuse and/or micro-aggressions within the workplace. Not only did participants reference old incidents which occurred throughout their careers, but also recent incidents, showing issues surrounding harassment, abuse and micro-aggressions remain today.

Among participants who did not identify themselves as a victim of harassment, abuse and/or microaggressions, they did indicate that they have witnessed and/or heard about incidents of harassment, abuse or microaggressions to others (female colleagues/friends) in the workplace.

Equal pay

In general, both internal and external participants felt as though they were paid equally to their male counterparts. Many participants commented that this was not always the case and that efforts toward ensuring equal pay have helped correct this imbalance in recent years. Internal participants indicated that because the public service sets pay bands for employees, pay is equal.

Note: although participants indicated they felt they were paid equally, a few mentioned they were overqualified for their jobs therefore, saying it is misleading to say they are paid equally as they are underemployed for their qualifications.

Leadership

Responses to leadership questions throughout this study were similar and consistent across participants. Many shared the same views and opinions of what it means to be a leader, and what qualities and leader must possess. The most mentioned qualities and abilities included:

• strong listening skills;
• setting a vision and goal;
• organizing and empowering people; and
• being a role model for others.

All participants demonstrated these qualities through their answers and personal examples. Throughout the interviews, we heard several responses that were worded differently, but had similar, if not the same, points. The individuality of each leader came out during the interviews where they described their own management styles and approaches to creating visions, driving strategies, and attaining organizational goals. Overall, many described “leadership” not only as a skill, but an ability of social influence.

Vacation

When asked about vacation and taking time off, many, if not all, unanimously agreed that taking time off was essential. Many indicated that in order to be at one’s best, time off was necessary.

Mental health

Among those interviewed, many if not all, had the same views and values surrounding mental health. Many talked about the importance of mental health and how to keep it in check by taking time off. Most agreed that taking time off to alleviate stress and spend time with family/friends allowed them to recharge and then return to work at their best.

Career development and succession

Participants described similar views and approaches to career development and succession. Many indicated this was something within one’s own control and said everyone is in charge of their own success, and they need to work with management to see through their goals and aspirations.

Differences

Education level and educational background

All external participants, 100%, had a university level education whereas 70% of internal participants had a university level education. The remaining 30% of internal participants had a college diploma. Interestingly, many external participants did not have educational backgrounds in IM/IT whereas most internal participants did, either at the university or college level. Internal participants had educational backgrounds or sought out additional training, certifications and/or courses in IM/IT whereas a lot of external participants did not. Most external participants progressed in their IM/IT careers without additional education or training in IM/IT.

IM/IT (or STEM) influence

External participants had more connections to either a family member, spouse, or workplace leader in an IM/IT (or STEM) discipline who influenced their career pathway in IM/IT. Internal participants had fewer connections, with only one person growing up around someone in a STEM discipline and only a couple of participants mentioning workplace leaders that influenced their career pathways in IM/IT.

Interestingly, several external participants talked about being around an influential, female figure in the workplace, who they admired, and thought was strong and powerful. These participants mentioned that seeing a female in a position of power sparked their interest in becoming an executive and drove a lot of their career success. One external participant said a lot of her career success had to do with a powerful, female figure whom she followed for most of her career.

Salary and bonus

Internal and external participants in this study held similar leadership roles/positions; however, the salaries and bonuses of external participants were drastically different from internal participants. External participants had significantly higher salaries and bonuses compared to internal participants.

Children and career impact

Overall, most participants in this study had children and took time off to care for their child/children. Although the amounts of time off varied between participants, more internal participants than external believed the time they took did not impact their careers. Several external participants indicated that taking time off did in fact impact their careers. One external participant talked about a joke, which was “for every child you have, you set your career back by two years.”

Areas for improvement and next steps

The scope of this study only includes a portion of the successes, challenges and personal experiences of women working in IM/IT. This study focused on a small group of executives, twenty in total, and drew upon literature and statistics on women in IM/IT and leadership. Nevertheless, the findings from this study highlight some of the progress made for women working in IM/IT, but also outlines what more can be done. Several participants throughout this study commented on how the IM/IT workforce has changed for the better over the years, but that there is still a lot to do to improve the IM/IT domain for women. The information collected in this study remains consistent with literature and statistics surrounding women in IM/IT. Fewer women seek out education in IM/IT (or STEM) disciplines, and when they do, they often enter the IM/IT workforce and occupy roles that are not technical, which further divides male and women in the IM/IT domain. Moreover, the personal experiences shared by the participants in this study is also consistent with various articles and statistics on women’s experiences working in male-dominated fields. References to this literature and statistics can be found above in Section 1 of this report.

Areas for improvement

We heard several examples throughout the interviews where participants experienced imposter syndrome; feeling disadvantaged or discriminated against; feeling isolated or excluded from male “teams” or “cliques;” feeling as though they must out-perform and overachieve to been seen as competent. These findings demonstrate that although some progress for women working in IM/IT has been made, there are still several areas, biases, and cultures to change. Based on the information gathered during this study, we believe the following areas require improvement:

1. Education programs, co-ops, and work placements for women in IM/IT
2. Recruitment and retention of women in IM/IT (at all levels)
3. Clear succession pathways for women seeking management and executive roles
4. Mentorship, sponsorship, networking, and support
5. Engagement and support from male counterparts and leaders (men as allies)
6. Systemic and unconscious bias
7. Numerical representation of women in IM/IT roles and leadership positions
8. Cultural shifts within work environments

The data we have presented here provides several examples of what women’s careers have been like in IM/IT and how they have entered executive, leadership echelons. While major conclusions cannot be determined due to the limited size and scope of this study, we, the IT Strategy team propose a secondary study take place to further analyze successes, challenges, and personal experiences of all women (at all levels) working in IM/IT, not just the executive/leadership echelon.

Next steps

Following the completion of this report, the IT Strategy team will be providing each participant with a copy of this report along with a PowerPoint presentation which summarizes the study and findings. Next, the IT Strategy team will be presenting the key findings of this study to various audiences and departments. Following this presentation period, the IT Strategy team will be using the information to develop activities, events, and strategies to improve specific areas of the IM/IT domain for women and prepare for a secondary study to be conducted. The IT Strategy team will partner with Human Resources (HR), People Management Division (PMD), IITB’s Women in IT Network as well as other teams to oversee this strategy and its activities. In the interim, and based on the findings in this study, the IT Strategy team is proposing the development and execution of the five-pillar strategy outlined below. It includes the following 1. Visibility; 2. Mentorship; 3. Employee Network; 4. Resource hub; 5. Learning and development. The proposed strategy includes a series of activities to take place over the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Following the results of the activities proposed above, a secondary study on women at all levels in IM/IT should take place to further develop the strategies on this subject and attain IITB’s/ESDC’s desired outcomes.

Closing remarks

In closing, we want to express our gratitude to all participants for sharing their experiences with us and for generously responding to our questions.

If anyone has questions about this report, the interviews, the literature we draw from, or any other aspect of this study, we encourage you to reach out to Leigh Gardner (leigh.s.gardner@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca) or Elmina Iusifova (elmina.iusifova@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca).