In the USA pay women in IT less, than to men. And what in Russia?

In the USA in 63% of cases offered women in the same company smaller, than to men, salary on the similar position connected with IT (a photo - hired.com)

In 2018 the online platform of job search Hired published a research of gender equality in the salaries of IT specialists of "The State of Wage Inequality in the Workplace". It was carried out in a number of the large cities of the USA and showed that there is a gap in the salaries of the men and women working at the same IT positions in the same^[1].

On average the companies suggested to pay women 4% less, than men, however also cases where the gap made up to 45%, said in the research Hired were revealed. On the positions connected with programming and analytics of data, for example, on average offered women salaries 8% less, than to men.

At the same time, with age the gap in compensation only increases. Female candidates at the age of about 35 years on average ask salary 2% lower, than men, and the salaries offered them are 7% lower, than to men.

However, also examples of reverse discrimination meet. So, in March, 2019 Google published results of an internal report about "providing a fair and equal pay of work" according to which women on one of a position of the programmer (Software Engineer Level IV) received more, than men. But earlier and in relation to Google there were cases of female discontent because of gender discrimination.

Whether pay in Russia to women in IT less?

Russia on a share of women in IT approached the European indicators: according to the application for search of IT specialists of AmazingHiring, in Russia in IT market of women about 16%, in the EU - 17%, and in the USA - 20%. However, despite the increasing number and a role of women in IT, apparently, in Russia in details so far nobody investigated a situation with a gap in salaries at IT positions depending on a floor.

At the same time in the country digits on the general gender gap in salaries are regularly sounded. The Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets in March, 2019 said that the salary of women in the Russian Federation averages 70% of the average salary of men^[2]. The research about a wage differential for 2015-2017 with breakdown by the industries was conducted by REU of^[3], but separately IT in it were not selected too.

TAdviser polled the experts in the field of recruiting working in Russia to find out their assessment of a difference in the offered salaries to men and women whose work is connected with IT. To ask employers such questions it seems senseless – even if someone from them pays women less, than to men, hardly in it is recognized, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation prohibits employment discrimination.

Some polled experts consider that they at the same IT positions pay men and women equally in view of an acute shortage of the personnel, but someone is sure that the gap in salaries nevertheless exists, and quite impressive.

Opinions of respondents of TAdviser of experts significantly differ (a photo - theconversation.com)

The head of practice high technologies and innovations of recruiting company Marksman Olga Kochergina notes that their company does not observe a difference in income level depending on a sex of the candidate.

In Russia meanwhile so acute shortage of professionals in the IT sphere that we work in the "full diversity" mode. So if the candidate approaches on a technology stack and experience, then it is not important, the man it or the woman, the main thing - to manage to employ it before other competitors, - she says.

At the same time there are taken roots stereotypes that, for example, the developer or the sales manager of IT solutions - it is more often the male, Olga Kochergina says. Here girls at a response and communication to positions face a share of scepticism and more scrupulous assessment. But there is an offer on work it is received, it on the same digits that would be made also to the male candidate, the expert of Marksman considers.

And here if the woman wants to do career in the IT industry and grow vertically, then so far in our realities of labor market to it it will be more difficult, than to the candidate to the man as it is necessary to overcome a big share of scepticism. Whether she will be able to direct a team of developer male? Whether will be able to maintain a stress? Whether gathers in the decree? How will build balance between work and family? And there are a lot more similar questions. However, if the woman manages to occupy the leading role, then again to any essential difference in income level we by the experience of recruitment in IT cannot note, - Olga Kochergina concluded.

Ksenia Ivanova, the senior consultant of practice of IT, ANCOR FinTech, the international company "ANKOR" holds the similar opinion. In the IT sphere – as in the capital, that and in regions – is not present a gap between the salaries of men and women, she believes.

In the market big deficit of IT specialists is felt. Demand significantly exceeds the offer. In such situation employers are not able to afford to lose specialists girls, offering them lower wages, - Ksenia Ivanova says. – Employers first of all estimate skill level of the specialist.

In the field of IT there is a direction in which there are more men, is a development, Ivanova added. Here about 70% of men. However this quantitative dominance does not affect the wage level. In analytics, where men and women equally, the same: the men and women taking similar positions receive identical salaries, believe in "ANCOR".

By experience of the GMS Services company specializing in selection of IT personnel in the leading technology companies, both large, and startups, in the Russian market the salary of specialists does not depend on age or a floor.

Though, we noticed cases when female candidates underestimate the skills and voice the comfortable wage level below, than male candidates for a similar position, - Anna Homyakova, the consultant for GMS Services personnel recruitment tells.

Most likely, it is connected with development of society in general: people are in Russia at a stage of formation of expectations of equality in the pay level, the status and the relation to professional merits in general, Homyakova assumes. Nevertheless, passing to new work location, women often voice the comfortable wage level about 10% more though men - for 20-25%.

Perhaps, it is connected also with the number of women in IT community in general and in our country in particular: their minority. In such situation it is rather difficult to be heard, and respectively quickly to influence changes. Therefore women in IT will need slightly more time that their voice sounded loudly and surely, - the consultant for GMS Services personnel recruitment argues.

Alyona Vladimirskaya, the leading expert in area of recruiting, the founder of the project according to the solution of any career questions "Antirabstvo", believes that information technologies are one of the few industries where in Russia there is no serious gender distortion in salaries.

Insignificant fluctuations can be, within 5%, but they are connected not with a sex of the candidate, and with the fact that all salaries in the companies have a certain range within which estimate potential employees. However as at assessment of expected salary the emphasis goes for experience and competences, the woman in IT can receive not less, and even it is more, than the man, - says Vladimir.

For this reason it is so important to have the good, selling summary in the course of the conversation on salary and also to be able to present itself and to sell the skills, Alyona Vladimirskaya added.

Another matter, she notes that in Russia prejudices about women on high technical and technology positions and the industries are still strong. They are not always ready to be considered simply as candidates.

The more technical vacancy, the is less than chances of it to get to representatives of a fine half. For example, the position of the head of department of development for women is actually closed, - Alyona Vladimirskaya considers.

The recruiting company Kelly Services, on the contrary, traces an essential gender gap in the salaries of IT specialists in Russia, despite existence of staff deficit. By estimates of the company, as the men of a position connected with IT on average pay the women settling on the same 20-30% less.

Really, in recent years we observe enormous staff shortage in the world of IT, and every year this trend goes only for increase. But at the same time inequality of salaries at men and women can be kept track easily, - Elizabeth Shumeyko, the senior specialist on personnel recruitment of Kelly Services of CIS says.

Perhaps, she assumes, it is caused by the fact that men seem more reliable in the market of employees: they should not go on maternity leave, on hospital when the child, etc. is ill. But in the company consider that the tendency to a wage differential is.

According to specialists of recruiting company Hays, in Russia the salary of women on the positions connected with IT on average is about 10-12% lower, than the salary of men on the same positions. The similar gap, often, is caused by rather standard reasons, Anna Ivanova, the head IT&Telecoms in Hays says:

• women put the career on a pause in the period of a maternity leave;
• because of a stereotype that the IT is a men's industry though it for a long time not so, women apply for the smaller salary with the purpose to get to the company;
• women in IT work much longer at one work location while men change the employer more often and with each new transition receive a gain in income.

At the same time recently the situation changes, the number of women grows in the industry, and taking into account that the companies actively offer the employees the flexible working schedule, in IT it became simpler to women to combine family and career. It positively affects their professional growth and growth of their salaries, - Anna Ivanova added.

Where some experts detected a salary gap

Inequality of salaries especially it is noticeable at testers, system / business-analitikov, consultants of ERP systems, UI of designers, Elizabeth Shumeyko, from Kelly Services claims. Here, according to the company, almost always salary at men is 20-30% higher under equal conditions on experience.

Much better the situation is in the world of developers, information security specialists and project managers, Shumeyko added. But there women about 10-15%, and salaries in this direction are proportional to men's.

The main gap between the salaries of men and women exists in those directions where technologies change most promptly, and after a break in several years the woman should increase again the examination, Anna Ivanova from Hays notes. It especially concerns software development.

Significantly we observe a smaller gap in project management and development of products. In these directions it is minimum - 1-2%, - Ivanova says.

As the situation changes with age

Olga Kochergina, Marksman, considers, as with age a trend on equality in salaries which is observed by their company, remains. There is no difference in income level, she says.

According to Ksenia Ivanova from "ANCOR", candidates 45 years are more senior – and it concerns not only women, but also to men – face the following problem:

It is difficult to them to determine the actual cost of the services because long time they worked at one place and do not know market realities. Therefore, as a rule, their salary expectations are lower, than at young applicants.

The age is not the defining factor or the reason of understating of salaries to women in IT, Elizabeth Shumeyko from Kelly Services considers. In this sphere it is not the main criterion by search or job change.

Alyona Vladimirskaya notes that the companies prefer to recruit specialists of the younger generation now.

Not necessarily directly from a bench of the university, experienced people, but the mastodons coming to work during an era of classical system administrators with a beard in a sweater and a tambourine in hands are necessary, now to very few people are necessary. An exception — if the person managed to make expert career and did not become numb, and responded on new trends, constantly studied something. In this case it is taken at the same time both for experience, and for relevant skills, - she summarized.

See Also

Women in IT

Notes