Women now make up less than 20 per cent of the 1.2 million IT workforce, so the announcement of this year's GCS Women in IT Award medallists is a timely reminder to all IT employers that opportunities for women are important for the future of the profession.

The award, which is part of the annual BCS IT Professional Awards, acknowledges employers who recognise the importance of diversity in the workplace and that society benefits from a more gender balanced workforce. 

It is open to organizations who can demonstrate how they have enhanced career paths for women in IT. The award is just one element of a campaign by BCS, through the Women’s Forum working group, to ensure that more women see IT as a career option.

Wendy Hall, Chair of the Women's Forum working group and a past president, explains why the award is important in encouraging women into the work place and why the lack of women in IT must be addressed more vigorously:

'We need to address the gender imbalance in the IT industry to overcome the lack of skills that women bring to the workforce generally. All of us increasingly use IT in our daily lives but there are very few women involved in the design, development and management of IT systems.

This award is an important step towards encouraging employers to address diversity within their IT departments and to ensure they offer career opportunities which are open to and supportive of both sexes.'

Recent research has shown that low representation of women in the profession is the result of negative stereotyping, continuing sexism in the workplace and inflexible working practices in meeting women’s needs to combine work with family responsibilities and the lack of incentives to return to work after career breaks.

GCS, the IT recruitment specialists, who are sponsoring the award this year, are very proud of their own 50/50 ratio of men and women in their company.

'We are delighted to be able to reward and encourage the efforts of companies that choose the best candidate for the job, focusing on the person, their skills and what they can bring to the organisation, department and role,' says Chris Bartlett, MD.

'At GCS, we are in the business of creating career opportunities, both within our own company and when placing the many candidates who register with us each year. 

We see people thrive in organizations and environments that offer scope and career development. The GCS Women in IT Award strongly endorses such an approach and the finalists demonstrate that their companies are excellent examples of this.'

The GCS Women in IT medallists in the 2006 BCS IT Professional Awards are: West Dunbartonshire Council, ThoughtWorks, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, AstraZeneca plc - Discovery Information.