Judith glover holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Surrey. Se is currently a professor of Employment Studies in the School of Business and Social Sciences at the University of Roehampton. She has research interests in women’s employment, with particular reference to women and scientific employment. She is also interested in the relationship between women’s domestic circumstances and paid work.
She is currently leading a research project on the practices of organizations that are recruiting women to positions in Information Technology, Electronics and Communications. She is also part of a European Commission project led by Newcastle University “Women in Innovation, Science and Technology”.
 
Technical but not very...  Employers' constructions of the employment of highly qualified women in Information Technology, Electronics and Telecommunications 

Abstract for the plenary session by Judith Glover
Professor of employment studies, University of Roehampton
  
A team of researchers in the School of Business and Social Sciences at Roehampton University has recently carried out research on the recruitment of women to employment in the field of Information Technology,  Electronics and Telecommunications (ITEC)   We interviewed senior Human Resources personnel and hiring managers in both 'developer' firms, mostly trans national corporations, and 'user' organisations, mostly in the public sector.  One theme that emerged from the research was the development of 'hybrid'  occupations within ITEC.  These occupations were presented by the organisations as the means to encourage women into ITEC because a customer-focused industry requires a mixture of technical and 'soft skills', perhaps particularly in the management of outsourced work.   The assumption from the companies was that women have these soft skills and that these hybrid jobs present new opportunities for women. We examine this assumption critically, suggesting that this could be construed as essentialist and stereotypical thinking. We also suggest that these jobs may not necessarily be in women's interests, since they have reduced technical requirements, and may not be therefore be particularly well remunerated.  There is a long history in women's employment of jobs that incorporate so-called 'natural' skills that are linked to domesticity; these tend to be poorly remunerated, since these skills are not formally recognised.

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