Gender and skilled migration in the IT sector: a comparison between India and the UK 2016-2018

Raghuram, Parvati and Herman, Clem and Sondhi, Gunjan (2019). Gender and skilled migration in the IT sector: a comparison between India and the UK 2016-2018. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-853244

The global Information Technology (IT) sector is characterised by low participation of women and the UK is no exception. In response, UK organizations (e.g. Women in Technology), committees (e.g. BCS Women) and campaigns (e.g. Computer Clubs for Girls) have been set up to address the problem and increase the small and falling number of women in IT education, training and employment. To complement and provide an evidence base for future interventions this project adopted a new approach by considering the problem from two unexplored angles simultaneously. First, India, in comparison with most OECD countries, has a much higher proportion of women working as IT specialists; the project compared the experiences of IT workers in India and the UK to see what the UK can learn from the Indian case. Secondly, the research explored the insights of migrant women and men who moved between UK and India and had experience of both work cultures in order to obtain new insights into gender norms in each country as well as best practice. The project answered the following questions: a) What are the gender differences in the labour market among migrant and non-migrant workers in the IT sector in India and the UK?; b) What processes have led to different gendered patterns of workplace experiences among migrant and non-migrant workers in the IT sector in India and the UK?; c) What is the role of firms, industry and national regulations and cultures in creating barriers and opportunities for migrant and non-migrant men and women's career entry and progression and labour markets?

Data description (abstract)

This is a collection of data on men and women in the IT sector in India and the UK. The data includes quantitative survey undertaken with 155 IT firms in India; 400 IT workers in India and the UK divided across the following cohorts: migrant and non-migrant, in India and the UK, men and women. The deposited data also includes 86 interviews with migrant and non-migrant IT workers in India and the UK. This data explores the nature of the IT industry, its gendered formations, experiences of migration and future plans. The use of a comparative methodology in understanding gender issues in the IT sector makes it unique.

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