Salary Survey Extra is a series of dispatches that give added insight into the findings of our annual Salary Survey. These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

‍

Today (March 8) is International Women’s Day. Women have been underrepresented in IT workplaces and professions for decades, but quite a few individuals and organizations have been working to foster change in that regard. In honor of the pioneering professionals of 2018, here’s a look exclusively at the women who responded to our most recent Salary Survey.

Here’s what the salary picture looks like for female Salary Survey respondents:

All U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $108,920
Median Annual Salary: $101,500
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 7.8 percent
Very Satisfied: 25.1 percent
Satisfied: 40.7 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 18 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 8.4 percent

All Non-U.S. Respondents
Average Annual Salary: $51,570
Median Annual Salary: $35,000
How satisfied are you with your current salary?
Completely Satisfied: 3.3 percent
Very Satisfied: 10.9 percent
Satisfied: 32.6 percent
Not Very Satisfied: 39.1 percent
Not At All Satisfied: 14.1 percent

The largest single body of women in the survey is made up of U.S. residents (64.5 percent of those surveyed), but we did hear from female certified IT professionals in 26 others countries: Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom.

Based on our survey data, it would seem that female certified IT professionals are fairly evenly spread across the typical range of ages for regularly employed workers. There’s a relative absence of youth, with just 6.9 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 19 and 24, and no one checking in from the 18-or-younger demographic. At the opposite end of the spectrum, just 0.8 of those surveyed are between the ages of 65 and 74, and we didn’t hear from anyone 75 or older. The largest of the middle range groups is the 25.5 percent of respondents between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by those between the ages of 35 and 44 (23.2 percent), those between the ages of 45 and 54, (22 percent), and those between the ages of 55 and 64 (21.6 percent).

The highest level of education completed by most female certified IT professionals is either a bachelor’s degree (42.8 percent) or master’s degree (34.4 percent), with a further 7 percent having gone even higher up the ladder to complete either a doctorate (2.7 percent) or a professional degree such as a juris doctor (4.2 percent). The pinnacle of formal education among those who did not spend at least four years at a university is most likely to be either a high school diploma (4.6 percent of respondents) or post-secondary-education technical training (6.9 percent), with the remaining 4.4 percent of respondents either currently in school (1.2 percent), or holding an associate’s (two-year) degree (3.2 percent).

Employment among female certified IT professionals is strong, with 95.8 percent of those surveyed employed full-time, while 2.3 percent have part-time jobs, and just 1.9 percent are unemployed. Among those who have full-time jobs, a solid 37.5 percent of respondents have a standard 40-hour work week, while 44.4 percent put in between 41 and 50 hours each week. The outliers are the 10.8 percent of those surveyed who work more than 50 hours each week, and the fortunate 7.3 percent who work between 31 and 39 hours per week.

In terms of workplace standing, most female certified IT professionals are at the manager level or below, with 16.6 percent of respondents working as managers, while 30.5 percent are at the senior specialist level, 15.4 percent are specialists, and 22 percent are rank-and-file employees. There are relatively few women in upper management roles, with 6.7 percent of those surveyed working as senior managers, while 6.2 percent are directors, and just 2.6 percent are at the executive level.

Most of the women we heard from have been around the IT block a time or two, having worked in the field for at least 6 years. That includes female certified IT professionals who have worked in IT for between 6 and 8 years (7.3 percent of respondents), between 9 and 11 years (11.6 percent), between 12 and 15 years (9.3 percent), between 16 and 20 years (19.3 percent), and more than 20 years (25.1 percent).  We did hear from a not-negligible 27 percent who are newcomers to the field, having worked in IT either between zero years (1 to 11 months) and two years (15.4 percent of respondents) or between 3 years and 5 years (12 percent).

It would seem that most female certified IT professionals have been working in IT for at least somewhat longer than they have been certified. Almost half of those surveyed have worked in a role that directly utilizes one or more of their certified skills for either between zero years (1 to 11 months) and 2 years (26.1 percent of those surveyed), or between 3 and 5 years (18.1 percent). Most of the rest of our respondents have done so for more than 10 years (37.8 percent of those surveyed), with the outliers having done so for either between 6 and 8 years (8.1 percent) or between 9 and 10 years (9.3 percent).

Finally, here’s the view of female certified IT professionals on key questions from the survey about how certification impacts job performance:

At my current job I use skills learned or enhanced through certification:
Several times a day: 52.9 percent
Several times a week: 23.6 percent
Several times a month: 7.7 percent
Occasionally: 12 percent
Rarely: 3.8 percent

Since becoming certified, I feel there is greater demand for my skills.
Strongly agree: 33.6 percent
Agree: 40.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 19.3 percent
Disagree: 3.9 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3.1 percent

Becoming certified has increased my problem-solving skills.
Strongly agree: 25.9 percent
Agree: 40.1 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 25.1 percent
Disagree: 6.2 percent
Strongly Disagree: 2.7 percent

Becoming certified has increased my workplace productivity.
Strongly agree: 22.4 percent
Agree: 36.3 percent
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 31.7 percent
Disagree: 6.2 percent
Strongly Disagree: 3.4 percent

‍