“Women in Pakistan IT Industry” Report Unveiled | InfoZonePK

Pakistan Software House Association (P@SHA) today unveiled its research report on working women in Pakistan IT industry, in a press conference held in Karachi.

The research is based on responses from 50 companies and 125 individuals – it targeted IT companies as well as large IT departments with non-IT companies.

Research report revealed that women account for 14% of the IT workforce, of which 37% are at the mid-career level while 13% are in Senior MManagement positions.

The data also pointed towards the presence of the infamous glass ceiling. Despite years of experience a large proportion of the women has been unable to move beyond mid-level positions.

Another observation was the significantly low number of women who hold more than seven years of work experience under their belt. This stunted retention can be attributed to the ‘leaky pipeline effect’, whereby life events force women’s career to often take a back seat.

The participants complained about long hours and recommended flixible and shorter work timings, transportation and day care facilities.

Jehan Ara, president P@SHA, encapsulated the motivation behind the initiative by saying that participation of women in the workforce has been shown to have positive effects on a nation’s economy.

“We aimed to not only get real facts and figures on women’s participants in IT but also aimed to explore the extent to which women are enable and equipped to succeed in IT.”

Nadeem Elahi, Chairman P@SHA, present at the occasion talked about the growth of the Pakistan IT industry in the face of domestic and international challenges. Nausheen Ishtiaq, Research Associate, was also present at the press conference.