Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. particularly (adv.) [per-tik-yuh-ler-lee, puh-tik-] – specifically; especially
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. particularly (adv.) [per-tik-yuh-ler-lee, puh-tik-] – specifically; especially
Example: I like different
kinds of technology, but I particularly
enjoy computers.
2. in a row (idiom) [in uh roh] – occurring one after another or happening without a stop
Example: The team won the game
for the fifth time in a row.
3. presumption (n.) [pri-zuhmp-shuhn] – the belief or acceptance that something
is true without much proof yet
Example: He left home late
because his presumption was that the
meeting would not start on time.
4. degree holder (n.) [dih-gree hohl-der] – a graduate of a college
or university
Example: She is a degree holder in Computer Science.
5. promotion (n.) [pruh-moh-shuhn] – the act
of moving someone to a higher job position; the act of receiving a higher job position
Example: After working in the
company for years, she finally got a promotion
to manager.
Article
Read the text below.
A survey conducted
by an IT recruiting company in US has reported that for this year, less than
10% of Chief Information Officers (CIO) in American companies are female.
In addition, at
least a third (1/3) of CIOs reveal there are no female managers working under
them.
This is the second
year in a row the decline has been
noticed. Anna Frazzetto, an executive at the recruiting firm Harvey Nash, claims
that the US is experiencing a lack of skilled IT experts, particularly those who are women.
Frazzetto cites
factors which contribute to the problem, such as the presumption of IT as boring, the shortage of female technology
graduates and the unfair treatment of women at work.
This
issue is also a concern of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which learned just
25% of women were in computer-related jobs last year.
Jenny Slade, a
spokesperson of the National Center for Women & Information Technology
(NCWIT), points out that women compose only 25% of systems managers, 38.6%
of web developers, and 19% of software developers. Moreover, in 2011, only
18% of IT degree holders were women.
Additionally, a
study by NCWIT study discovered 56% of women in technology jobs quit in the
middle of their careers. Slade says this is due to unfriendly working environments
and the small chance of earning a promotion.
Meanwhile, Patricia
Andersen of Apartments.com, one of the few female CIOs, says for more women
to be successful, seniors must guide them and teach them especially how to
handle office politics.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do you think the gender of the leader/s of a
company is important? Why or why not?
·
What do you think are the differences between
the leadership of males and females?
Discussion B
·
How
can more women be encouraged to try a career in Information Technology?
·
What are advantages of having more female IT workers?