[UbuntuWomen] what makes a company more attractive to techie women?

[Esther Schindler]

I've been involved in a lot of discussions with IT women that address  
this question, but usually from the periphery. That is, someone will  
post a message about behavior (in, say, a job interview) that's a  
turn-off, making the woman decide that this company is probably not a  
good choice for woman who wants to get ahead, or to just enjoy her job.

But I've been thinking about this, particularly as I continue in the  
series of articles I've been writing about Women in IT. (Which I hope  
you _like_, and don't make me seem like a pest. I don't want to be a  
pest.) I'm planning to write another article, this time with more  
input from IT women (not just CIOs, though I expect I'll get some  
input from them), looking for the attributes/behaviors that a smart  
company can adopt to make itself more attractive to women.

I want to make this largely about POSITIVE things that companies can  
do -- not just the painful anecdotes. Certainly, there will be value  
in mentioning the turn-offs. But it'd be ideal if I could enumerate  
"7 ways to make your company more attractive to IT women" -- the "DO  
THIS" not just "DO NOTs."

For instance, one obvious attraction is flexible work options (which  
obviously appeals to both genders, but certainly is a Plus for women  
with small children).

Anyway -- I'm hereby collecting input. Ideally you can share your  
name, company, and position with me, because I need those to use them  
in the article. Private messages are fine, though I dare say there's  
value to be had by making this a public discussion.

I'm hoping to collect information this week and next week (though I'm  
about to disappear for a few days to the Microsoft MIX conference).  
Then I'll compile and turn into an article that, I hope, may make  
life just a little bit easier for techie women.

Esther Schindler
(in her devilish disguise as senior online editor, CIO.com)