Linda Massaro always thought she had to try harder than the men to succeed
in government. "You had to do a better job because you were going to be
watched," she said. But from where she sits now, as chief information officer
and director of information and resource management at the National Science
Foundation, Massaro, 53, is watching more women succeed.
"I think women have come a long way," she said. Women in the top echelon
of government still are underrepresented, but at gatherings of groups such
as the CIO Council, Massaro has noted that she sees a lot more women than
in the past.
Women in government information technology jobs are finding they are
climbing toward the top faster and in ways they never could in other fields.
The reasons are varied. For one, the rapid expansion of the high-tech work
force is creating opportunities for women.
"It is in our nation's best self- interest to take strong steps to nurture
the talents of women, minorities and persons with disabilities to fill the
demand for skilled workers in science and technology fields," said Rep.
Connie Morella (R-Md.).
Also, the federal government has an obligation to serve as a model workplace,
reflecting the diversity of the population and enforcing labor practices.
"Government has one advantage to private industry, which is that it
must be more socially conscious," said Ruzena Bajcsy, 67, director of NSF's
Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering Directorate. "It has always
been, including the military, a tremendous opportunity for the underprivileged."
At the same time, IT encompasses a wide range of job skills, beyond
pure math and science, so it is often a magnet for government workers who
are generalists. "In this field, the sky's the limit," said Linda Burek,
41, deputy CIO at the Justice Department. "You've got such a need out there
and inadequate resources that, if you are halfway decent, it doesn't matter
if you are blue or purple or 10 feet tall."
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