Intellect, the trade association for the UK IT, telecommunications and electronics industries is launching new research which it is hoped will eventually boost the number of women working in the sector.
Earlier research, released in November, revealed that just 16 per cent of IT workers in Britain are female and this number is in decline.
Many of the women employed in the sector were working in lower skilled and lower paid positions than their male counterparts, the study found, with cultural barriers such as the disregard for women's different skills thought to be a factor.
The new research will be sponsored by the Department for Trade and Industry as well as private sector organisations and will, it is hoped, bring an insight into the sector.
Based on the results of the research, an action plan will be developed which will aim to achieve a more diverse British IT industry.
Chair of Intellect's Women in IT Forum Gillian Arnold said: "In order to acquire and retain the best skills in the UK workforce, the industry needs to ensure that women's – and indeed any minority group's - discomfort with cultural aspects of the workplace is minimised, allowing them fulfilling and comparable careers to their male counterparts."
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