• 14% of engineering undergraduates are women
• Women hold 33% of administrative & managerial jobs
• 15-25% of IT professionals in the UK are women
• 42% of UK Internet users are women
• The UK is characterized by a gender gap in science, engineering, and technology education and careers, similar to gaps in the United States and Canada.
• In England and Wales, 30% of young people enter higher education, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the figure is closer to 45%.
• Girls and boys have equal access to education in the UK and yet, gender stereotypes about academic and career tracks are prevalent.
• The female employment rate in the UK is 69%, which is among the highest in Europe, second only to Denmark and Sweden.

Gender Policy Framework

• The primary government body focusing on women’s issues is the Women and Equality Unit.
• One example of the Women and Equality Unit’s attention to women and IT is the Women Unlimited Program. http://www.womens-unit.gov.uk/womenunlimited/index.htm Women Unlimited began as an IT job fair for women in early 2001 but now includes online tools for women in job searching, starting a business, or setting career goals.
• Women leaders in the government, including Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Minister, help promote awareness of the importance of women’s participation in IT.
• Sex Discrimination Act 1975: applies to both males and females and makes sex discrimination unlawful in: employment and vocational training; education; the provision and sale of goods, facilities and services; housing.
• Equal Pay Act 1970: makes it unlawful to offer different pay and conditions where women and men are doing the same or like work or are rated as equivalent in the same employment.

Non-Government Gender & IT Activities

• Association for Women in Science and Engineering (AWISE) www.awise.org
• Athena Project www.athena.ic.ac.uk
• DigitalEve United Kingdom http://www.digitaleveuk.org/
• Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WiTEC): a European network active in 12 European countries, including the UK, offers resources for women regarding training, funding and support activities. www.shu.ac.uk/witec/
• Women's Engineering Society www.wes.org.uk