And the AussieChix group has won $70,000 in federal funding from the Department of Communications, IT and the Arts to support women in the ICT industry and to make the sector more attractive to women.
Now a global network of groups, LinuxChix was set up in 1999 in the US by women frustrated by the attitudes of many other Linix-oriented groups. Since then, the organisation grew dramatically to more than 40 regional LinuxChix chapters around the world.
Until two weeks ago, LinuxChix had chapters in both Sydney and Melbourne. But following discussions at the Linux.Conf.au conference in Sydney in January the groups combined.
AussieChix spokeswoman Donna Benjamin says being a woman in IT can be lonely at times.
“The image created for our conference T-shirts this year showed one woman in a line of men, and the caption was ‘standing out from the crowd’ because it's a bit like that,” Benjamin said. “We're often the only girl-geek in our local communities.”
Benjamin is a director of the Open Source Industry Australia (OSIA), and conference director for Linux.Conf.au 2008. She also runs a services business, Creative Contingencies.
Communications Minister Helen Coonan announced the AussieChix grant on March 8 – International Women’s Day. Senator Coonan has been a long-time supporter of initiatives that aim to get more women involved in ICT.
“Women account for less than 18 per cent of all ICT employees in the Australian ICT sector. The Australian Government is committed to increasing the productivity of Australia’s ICT sector through the improved retention and progression of female ICT professionals,” Senator Coonan said.
“In an environment where the demand for ICT skills is increasing, retaining ICT professionals is crucial for individual businesses and the wider economy.”
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