Today’s generation of women workers “won’t sacrifice other aspects of their lives for work,” said Delphia Croft, senior vice president and managing director of Lee Hecht Harrison’s Chicago offices.

The company, a global career management services firm, is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

Croft bases her conclusion on the observations of 134 women who are human resources executives who have been in the paid labor market for at least a decade. Only 31 percent of the executives believe that “women coming into the business world today are more career-minded” than they and other members of their generation.

Instead, new female workers, the older generation believes, “recognize they can have both their life and their career.” The root of this change is due to the fact that “the new generation is less willing to work long hours,” according to 62 percent of the long-tenured women.

“Of course, it’s a tribute to the female pioneers that this is the case,” said Croft.

Reality bytes

Even though it’s generally acknowledged that the information technology profession is male-dominated – and then some – it’s not easy to understand what accounts for this persistent gender gap. And one of the culprits may be a familiar one: The old boys’ network, an informal support group of men helping men.

Eileen Trauth, professor of information sciences and technology at Pennsylvania State University, was the lead researcher in a study of 44 women with jobs in information technology. She studies how the “combination of an old boys’ network and the male-dominated workplace affected” them.

The study is ongoing and eventually will include 120 women who are IT professionals.

Trauth, who has a doctorate in information science, gave a report of the findings at the Americas Conference on Information Systems in New York. The professor observed that “some women deliberately developed interests that meshed with their male counterparts in order to be part of the network.” One woman even took flying lessons to give her something to talk about with her male colleagues.

Some women chose not to try to be part of the male group; others formed their own networks. Also included in the study were women who preferred to interact with men and eschewed women’s networks.

Breaking down social – and networking – barriers in the workplace will help bring more women into the world of technology, the professor says.

“Companies that open up social networking opportunities for all members of their IT labor force are taking a significant step toward addressing the gender gap,” Trauth concluded.

Carol Kleiman is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want,” Wiley, $16.95. Send e-mail to ckleimantribune.com.
Sacrificing is out

Making sacrifices: Today’s generation of women workers “won’t sacrifice other aspects of their lives for work,” said Delphia Croft, senior vice president and managing director of Lee Hecht Harrison’s Chicago offices.

The company, a global career management services firm, is headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

Croft bases her conclusion on the observations of 134 women who are human resources executives who have been in the paid labor market for at least a decade. Only 31 percent of the executives believe that “women coming into the business world today are more career-minded” than they and other members of their generation.

Instead, new female workers, the older generation believes, “recognize they can have both their life and their career.” The root of this change is due to the fact that “the new generation is less willing to work long hours,” according to 62 percent of the long-tenured women.

“Of course, it’s a tribute to the female pioneers that this is the case,” said Croft.

Breaking ceilings: There’s a term now being used that applies to age discrimination in the workplace: the silver ceiling. In fact, “Breaking the Silver Ceiling” was the title of a recent hearing of the U.S. Senate special committee on aging. According to AARP, the advocacy group for people over 50, 70 percent of baby boomers plan to work into their retirement years – or never retire. Ever.

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(Carol Kleiman is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want” (Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to ckleimantribune.com.)

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(c) 2004, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-11-09-04 0626EST