'Disappearing Women': A study of women who left the UK ICT sector

Abstract

Women continue to leave the UK ICT sector in disproportionate numbers, yet little research has documented this phenomenon. In contrast, the majority of existing studies in this area concentrate on women who remain in the ICT workplace. The 'Disappearing Women: Northwest ICT' project reported in this paper focused on women who left the UK ICT sector and allowed their voices to be heard, telling how they had been overlooked and effectively silenced. Drawing on nine in-depth qualitative autobiographical interviews, we identify a typology of 'disappearing women' from the ICT sector and several reasons for their decision to do so. The relevance of these findings for policy and practice is also discussed. © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economia y Negocios.