This year, almost 400 more women joined the IT study programs of Lithuanian colleges and universities, according to “Women in Technology Barometer 2024”. Most of the women from the study offer in the IT field chose program systems studies. Vilnius University attracted the most students to IT studies – compared to last year, the number of women admitted to IT study programs increased by 12.3 percent.
“Barometer in the field of women’s technology” was compiled by the initiative of “Adform Lietuva” in cooperation with the National Education Agency (NŠA), which collected and systematized data on general admission to higher education institutions. This initiative aims to record how gender proportions are changing in the country’s higher education IT studies and highlight the importance of diversity. The data on which the barometer is based is not final and may still change slightly.
According to the initiators of the barometer, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vytautas the Great University, and Mykolas Romeris University also attracted more female students to IT studies this year.
Company photo/Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė
“By the way, the number of women enrolled in IT studies at Mykolas Romeris University from 2022 doubled. Although Mykolas Romeris University specializes in legal studies, they also have one study program in the field of IT – game development and digital animation”, – Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė, Human Resources Director of Adform, reviewed the results of the barometer.
It is true that D. Buinickaitė-Struckienė notes that the total number of women enrolled in IT study programs in Lithuanian higher education institutions decreased by 17.6 percent this year. This fall was mainly influenced by the decrease in the number of IT students in colleges – 42 percent of women were admitted to IT study programs in colleges this year. less. Meanwhile, the number of university enrollments remained similar to last year, and in some universities even increased.
“This year, the number of admitted students decreased not only in IT, but also in other study programs in Lithuania, and colleges felt the biggest decrease. The decrease in students is due to demographic trends, which inevitably have an impact on our observed results of female enrollment in IT study programs. By the way, the fall of men enrolled in IT studies this year was even higher than that of women, and reached 21 percent”, – observes D.Buinickaitė-Struckienė.
The “Women in Technology Barometer” also showed that 80 percent all students enrolled in IT studies in Lithuania this year were men. According to D. Buinickaitė-Struckienė, this shows that there is still a large gender disproportion in IT studies. This answers the question of why IT sector jobs continue to be dominated by males.
“Although girls often do even better than boys in exact sciences in schools, the statistics of the choice of studies do not show continuity when it comes time to choose a profession. The main reason why there are significantly fewer women working in the IT sector is none other than stereotypes. This is what prompted us to record every year how the number of women in IT studies in Lithuania changes – the barometer is an initiative that aims to destroy stereotypes and help women discover a promising career in IT”, says Adform representative D. Buinickaitė-Struckienė. Women in this IT company currently make up over 37 percent. of all employees.
By the way, it is interesting that in 2022 after the first “Women in Technology Barometer” was published in October, an impressive jump in admissions was recorded: 71 percent enrolled in various IT courses at colleges and universities that year. more women than in 2021 However, it is now believed that this was likely a short-term increase due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Although simply comparing the numbers we now see a decline in enrollments in IT studies, we have actually entered a phase of what we can call sustainable growth. After the sudden jump spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of women have dropped out.
Therefore, the slight, gradual growth of women’s interest in IT professions is much more sustainable and beneficial to the labor market. If we exclude the influence of demographic reasons, we can see this trend in Lithuania now. The proportion of women among informatics students, albeit slowly, is increasing”, commented D.Buinickaitė-Struckienė.
VU vice-dean: The IT sector is a field that is presented very narrowly in schools
According to the strategy and general affairs vice-dean of Vilnius University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, prof. Jurgitas Markevičiūtė, talking about future studies with students, gives the impression that they lack deeper knowledge about the IT field – students identify it with programming.
Photo of VU/Jurgita Markevičiūtė
“In my opinion, there are fewer women in the IT sector because young people lack knowledge about the diversity and opportunities of the sector. The IT sector is not the only field that is presented very narrowly in school, giving the misleading impression that IT is only programming, statistics, only averages or percentages, etc.
Children still have questions about whether to take the computer science exam at school, even though they intend to study IT, mathematics, physics, etc., where knowledge of computer science is very necessary. Joint scientific and business projects in schools, raising the qualifications of informatics and career teachers would help broaden the horizons and better understand what opportunities the IT sector offers and that all people, regardless of character traits or gender, can find their place in it”, – VU vice-dean prof. J. Markevičiūtė.
Thinking that IT is too complicated, girls choose to study non-IT sciences and only later decide to enter the IT market.
According to J. Markevičiūtė, younger girls are actively interested in IT careers, but their priorities change in older classes. Some decide to change directions, others are under pressure that IT is a “male” field. For these reasons, girls have the misconception that IT is a difficult field. According to the vice-dean, school career specialists also do not always know how different IT professions are, what universities, colleges and vocational schools offer in the field of IT, so young people lack information from the nearest authority – a teacher, a career consultant.
“Thinking that IT is too complicated, girls choose to study non-IT sciences and only later decide to enter the IT market. Therefore, retraining or lifelong learning initiatives are also very necessary. However, the most investment should be in initiatives in schools, where all children would be told about IT studies and related careers. Initiatives carried out by universities alone are not always enough. Also, greater involvement of business in communication with schools could lead to a breakthrough. Success stories and showing that women are successful in the field of IT are very effective tools,” J. Markevičiūtė, VU MIF vice-dean for strategy and general affairs, has no doubts.
D. Buinickaitė-Struckienė also agrees with the professor: “Efforts of every person or organization are important to achieve change, so on November 14, another event will take place in Vilnius to complement the barometer – “Girls’ Technology Day”. During the project, IT companies located in the capital will open their doors to high school girls who are interested in IT and want to learn more about it. We have also established a .NET Academy in our company, where we teach novice specialists the specifics of IT. This is one of the steps by which we, as a company, aim to encourage change in this area, starting first with ourselves,” adds D.Buinickaitė-Struckienė, director of human resources.
Are ChatGPT and other AI tools already encroaching on jobs?
Personnel search and selection expert Raimonda Jurgelaitytė says that in “heavyweight” IT positions, such as programming, female candidates are found much less often, especially those with several years of professional experience.
Company photo/Raimonda Jurgelaitytė
“Sometimes you see a woman applying for a Java programming position and you’re really surprised, because it’s still very male dominated.” On the other hand, IT is very broad and there are many fields where there are quite a lot of female candidates already. For example, we see a lot of women in data analytics, testing. In various management positions that require more managerial skills (for example, product manager), women are no longer a surprise,” observes Alliance for Recruitment expert R. Jurgelaitytė.
R. Jurgelaitytė also points out that higher education institutions are by no means the only source of filling the labor market with candidates in the IT sector. “This is only one of the sources. We continue to see many women entering the IT workforce after retraining or completing various courses. So the hard work to destroy stereotypes really pays off,” she asserts.
Although recently we hear more often about the layoffs of employees in IT companies or the decreasing need for hiring employees, R. Jurgelaitytė assured that the lack of employees in the IT sector remains – there is still a shortage of various IT specialists, especially those with work experience, and it seems that the trends will not change in the near future. Therefore, according to R. Jurgelaitytė, the popularization of IT as a field must not stop.
“Looking from the perspective of the labor market, we see no reason why you should no longer choose studies in the field of IT. However, the truth is that the demand for specialists in the IT market has recently stabilized – there is no longer such a sharp growth as we saw a few years ago. The situation has stabilized and is in line with the laws of supply and demand, but this does not mean that enough specialists are being trained. Also, thanks to the media, which destroys myths that there are mountains of gold waiting for you in IT. Well, no, it’s really not like that: you need to work in IT for 3-5 years before a specialist starts receiving a higher than average salary and gains more comfort”, emphasized the personnel search and selection expert.
R. Jurgelaitytė also commented on the fears circulating in society that the need for specialists in the IT field is already being reduced by the rapid popularity of artificial intelligence tools.
“Artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT and others are just good tools that can help a professional in their work, both in IT and in other fields. They help you complete certain low-value-added tasks faster and you can focus on other tasks. Therefore, as professionals in their field, employees must integrate and learn to work with AI tools: just as we learn formulas in Excel, so we must learn to write queries in ChatGPT. This is today’s reality, and there is no reason to talk about the threats that artificial intelligence is already encroaching on the workplaces of IT specialists,” asserted R. Jurgelaitytė.
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Interview with Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė, Human Resources Director of Adform
Interviewer: Dovilė, thank you for joining us today. It’s exciting to see an increase in the number of women enrolling in IT study programs this year. Can you tell us more about the significance of the ”Women in Technology Barometer 2024″?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Thank you for having me. The “Women in Technology Barometer” is a crucial initiative aimed at tracking gender diversity in the IT education sector of Lithuania. We observed that nearly 400 more women entered IT study programs this year, which is a step in the right direction. However, while the increase at Vilnius University was particularly notable, the overall enrollment of women in IT studies has decreased by 17.6%. This highlights the ongoing challenges we face.
Interviewer: It’s interesting that while some universities have seen a rise in female enrollment, others have not. What do you think are the underlying reasons for this trend?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Unfortunately, the total number of students enrolling has declined, especially in colleges. This decline is largely influenced by demographic factors and reflects a broader trend affecting various study programs in Lithuania. Despite this, some universities like Mykolas Romeris University and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University have successfully attracted more women, indicating that targeted efforts can yield positive results.
Interviewer: You mentioned that there are stereotypes that deter women from entering IT fields. Can you elaborate on that?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Certainly. Many young women perceive IT as a “male” domain and associate it only with programming. This misconception leads them to choose other fields, even when they excel in STEM subjects at school. It’s essential that we break these stereotypes and ensure that girls see the diversified opportunities within IT and understand that they have a place in this sector.
Interviewer: What initiatives are in place to encourage more women to pursue careers in IT?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: We are actively involved in initiatives like “Girls’ Technology Day,” where high school girls can learn about IT careers directly from industry professionals. In addition, our company has established a .NET Academy to provide training for women entering the workforce. These programs are designed to inspire and inform young women about the possibilities in IT.
Interviewer: Looking ahead, what do you think is necessary for fostering sustainable growth in women’s participation in IT studies?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: There needs to be a multi-faceted approach. This includes enhancing education about IT in schools, greater collaboration between educational institutions and businesses to provide real-world insights, and continued efforts to highlight successful women in the industry. Gradual and sustained changes are vital for building a diverse workforce in IT.
Interviewer: Thank you, Dovilė, for sharing your insights. It’s clear that while progress is being made, there is still work to be done to achieve gender balance in the IT sector in Lithuania.
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Thank you for highlighting this important topic!
Place to help change these perceptions and encourage more female students to pursue IT careers?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: We are actively working on initiatives that target students at an early stage. For instance, we are organizing events such as “Girls’ Technology Day” where companies open their doors to high school girls, allowing them to explore career opportunities in IT. Additionally, we’ve established programs within our company, like the .NET Academy, which aim to provide training and mentorship to novice specialists. It’s crucial for both educational institutions and businesses to collaborate in showcasing success stories of women in technology and promoting the diverse aspects of IT careers.
Interviewer: You’ve noted that women currently make up over 37 percent of employees at Adform. What steps does your company take to maintain and increase this percentage?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: We believe in fostering a supportive environment that encourages diversity. This includes mentorship programs, flexible work arrangements, and creating inclusive company policies that promote work-life balance. Furthermore, we continuously assess our hiring practices to ensure we are attracting a diverse range of candidates. Our goal is not only to attract women into IT but to ensure they have the resources and support to thrive in their careers.
Interviewer: What longer-term strategies do you think will be effective in sustaining this momentum for women in IT?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Long-term success will come from consistent efforts across various fronts: educational reform to introduce IT topics more comprehensively in schools, continued partnerships between educational institutions and the tech industry, and public awareness campaigns that highlight the importance of diversity in tech. Additionally, supporting lifelong learning and retraining opportunities for women entering the workforce later in life can help create a more inclusive environment in the industry.
Interviewer: It’s encouraging to hear about the proactive measures being taken. What role do you think artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT play in the future of IT jobs for both men and women?
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: AI tools can be seen as enhancers of productivity rather than replacements. They can help streamline certain tasks, allowing IT professionals to focus on more complex problems and creative solutions. For women entering the field, embracing these technologies can provide significant advantages in terms of efficiency and innovation. Rather than fearing that AI will take jobs away, we should view it as a tool that can democratize access to technology and empower individuals to perform at their best.
Interviewer: Thank you, Dovilė, for sharing your insights and for the important work you and your team are doing to foster a more inclusive environment in IT.
Dovilė Buinickaitė-Struckienė: Thank you for having me! It’s a pleasure to discuss these vital topics, and I’m optimistic about the future of women in technology.
