What can be done that women do not leave IT and technology?

Dear EWMD-Friends!

A lot of efforts are made to attract women for IT and technology professions. But a lot of female talents do not stay there: In Germany 40.000 female engineers are NOT WORKING in their fields any more or stay at home. Same is true in other countries.

We, Claudia von der Linden and Gertraud Leimüller, want to support firms to retain female talents and therefore are going to start the pioneering multiclient-study Innovation in Female Talent Management in IT and Technology in 2009. Our goal is to identify and describe international best practises for retaining women in IT and technology careers. 

3 questions:

1. What aspects (e.g. incentive structures, leadership, climate) are especially important?
2. Which firms are highly interested in the outcome of the study?
3. Which firms have instruments in place which could be used as best practise?