Men & Motherhood

Women in IT Delay Marriage, Motherhood to Advance Careers But Still Miss Top Jobs
CIO (10/16/08) Levinson, Meridith
One third of mid-level technical women have postponed motherhood to achieve their career goals, whereas only 18 percent of technical men reported doing the same, (18% of technical men have postponed MOTHERHOOD?) reports a new study from the Anita Borg Institute of Women and Technology and Stanford University's Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research. Women in mid-level IT jobs also are almost three times more likely than men to forgo having children completely. The study found that 9 percent of women said they decided against having children to focus on their careers, compared to 3.5 percent of men.

About the same number of men and women postponed marriage to establish themselves professionally, but more women put their careers ahead of getting married for their whole lives, as 7.8 percent of women surveyed said they remained single to focus on their careers, compared to 2.5 percent of men.

However, the study found that women are not benefiting from making significant personal sacrifices to advance their professional lives. Technical men are nearly three times more likely than technical women to hold an executive-level position in their companies.

The study found that one reason women are passed over for promotions is because men view them as less technically competent, and as a result women are often given low-visibility tasks that are stereotypically feminine, such as support. The lack of visibility makes it more difficult for women to move up. Women interviewed for the study said that as much as their companies want to think of themselves as meritocracies, visibility, power, and influence are as important as merit and accomplishment in earning promotions.