Women in IT, rejoice: Survey shows pay gap between genders shrinking

When you think of senior technology positions, do you automatically picture men? You’re not alone. Information technology has long been a field heavily dominated by men, especially when it comes to IT salaries. And the numbers prove it.

A 2012 Reuters article, “Fewer Women In Top U.S. Tech Jobs Since 2010: Survey,” notes that the number of women in senior technology positions is down for the second straight year, falling from 11 percent to 9 percent.
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The good news, however, is that as fewer women join the fray, those that do choose to pursue careers in information technology are gaining when it comes to compensation, says SmartSource Inc.

As noted in the “Spotlight on Women in Tech” post from Dice.com, IT salaries between men and women have virtually closed the pay gap. Overall, men still earn more than women do ($95,929 vs. $87,527). However, this is presumably due to the difference in IT career choices.

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For women, the top five positions are project manager, business analyst, other IT, QA tester, and technical recruiter. For men, they are software engineer, systems administrator, project manager, IT management, and applications developer.

The study went on to say men and women with equivalent levels of education and experience receive the same pay for similar work. Additionally, men (56%) and women (58%) nearly agreed they were satisfied with their compensation.

The primary reason for this shrinking gap in technology pay may be what Tom Silver, a senior vice president with Dice, suggests is a “skills-driven marketplace.” In his opinion, when it comes to the field of information technology, it is all about having the “know-how to a given problem.”