The State of Women in Information Management
Women in Information Management (WIIM) | AIIM Community
March is Women’s History Month and in celebration of women, I want to let you know about AIIM's Women in Information Management group and how we are supporting the information management community.
Why is WIIM important?
In 2019, I sat in on a panel with several other women in the information management industry at the AIIM Conference in San Diego. The goal of the panel discussion "Women in Information Management: What's This All About?" was to promote the newly formed AIIM Women in Information Management (WIIM) special interest group and explore issues facing women in this industry.
We were asked "What do you want to accomplish with WIIM and why is it important?"
I remember sharing my personal reason for wanting to form WIIM --- I wish I’d had something like WIIM when I was younger. Typically, I am often the “only” woman in the room and the only person who has a vested interest and skills in Information Management. Being the "only" in a room full of colleagues can be a lonely road to travel.
Despite often being the “only” woman physically present, I know that I have a group of supportive women behind me who are willing to stand up with me and for me. They are the ones who pick up my “phone-a-friend” calls.
WIIM is a network of women who provide technical help as well as perspectives for how to handle life’s challenges that are unique to women. I am grateful that post-pandemic, WIIM is once again meeting and working together as a group.
Understanding the Current State of WIIM
It's been 4 years and as I look around the AIIM community, I see a fairly diverse group in terms of gender, ethnicity, etc. However, when I look to our leadership ranks, including Fellows and Board members, it’s a largely male population. The speakers’ rosters are largely male as well.
Women in IM face the same challenges as in other industries.
Looking to the McKinsey report on Women in the Workplace 2023, women suffer from broken rung syndrome where they are promoted based on performance at a higher standard than their male counterparts. Women are almost equal in numbers of entry level hires but fall off dramatically with each step up in the ladder. According to the study, women make up less than 32% of VP or higher level jobs.
The AIIM State of the Industry report doesn’t segregate the data by gender. However, if our membership is largely below VP level (7%), you can assume that there are a large number of women within AIIM's ranks who want to grow their careers and "climb the ladder."
Supporting Young Women in Information Management
AIIM’s State of the Industry Report for 2023 also showed that only 14% of the respondents were under 30 years old. If we want to attract, and retain, younger talent into the industry, we’re going to need to provide them with support systems to help them grow and thrive. WIIM is that support system.
How Can WIIM Help?
I want to help elevate and diversify the industry and our association by being a champion for other women. I want to mentor and help with presentation skills or anything else that is needed to ensure that women of all ages are being supported.
WIIM is meant to be a safe space for women to seek help, whether they are in need of technical skill development; help in writing a submission to a call for presentations; or need some advice on how to integrate life and work.
The work and our lives are changing. We need each other to thrive. You can join WIIM by becoming an AIIM+ or AIIM+ Pro Member and joining the WIIM Community.
WIIM at AIIM Conference 2024
WIIM will be hosting two sessions at the AIIM Conference 2024 (#AIIM24) in San Antonio, April 3-5. You don't want to miss this opportunity to connect with other women in information management at #AIIM24. By attending #AIIM24, you will also have access to a innovative solution providers, peer-to-peer networking, interactive workshops, forward-looking keynote presentations, and inspiring case studies. If you are focused on better leveraging organizational data and information, #AIIM24 is a must-attend event. Learn more and register at https://www.aiimconference.com/.
WIIM Fireside Chat with Carla Howard
April 3, 2024, 3:40 PM-4:10 PM CT
Join Women in Information Management (WIIM) and me (AIIM Fellow Candace McCabe) for a fireside chat with keynote speaker Carla Howard. Women often struggle to find the balance between being kind and ambitious and that struggle creates habits that reduce our self-confidence. In this special conversation, Candace and Carla will explore how small changes in the way you communicate will set you up to be more influential, promotable, and trusted while creating stronger connections.
Women in Information Management Roundtable
Join Women in Information Management (WIIM) for an interactive roundtable discussion about the current state and future state of women in information management. We'll also discuss the future of WIIM and what AIIM can do to improve diversity amongst information leaders. All women and allies are welcome to this conversation.
About Candace McCabe, CIP, CIPM, AIIM Fellow
Candace began her love affair with all things data and information in one of her earliest roles in her career. As a project manager responsible to her customer in a software development company, she quickly learned to understand her customer’s data needs and communicate those clearly to her software development partners. After serving as the Sr. Information Architect at JB Hunt Transport and leading their enterprise modeling effort, she moved into Enterprise Architecture with a minor role in Information Lifecycle Management. She championed the creation of an Information Governance Program that included Information Lifecycle Management, Records Management, eDiscovery, Legal Hold Management, and the supporting technologies for those efforts and she became the creator and owner of the program. As an extension of her IG work, Candace expanded her efforts to promote, create, and manage JB Hunt’s first Information Privacy program. In that effort, she also included her knowledge and network in IM/ IG. Candace joined Walmart in late 2019 and began working in the Governance, Risk, and Compliance area, supporting Disaster Recovery as a Sr. Solution Architect. She continued applying her IM/ IG knowledge, which has expanded into an information risk management practice, and applying IM/ IG to her current role in Enterprise Architecture. She is currently working to apply IG principles and serving as the primary information architect in an effort to develop accurate and actionable views of the dependencies between technical assets. Candace has always been a proponent for improving the lives and careers of women in information and technology careers. She served as a member of the WIIM leadership council, mentored multiple women in AIIM, started the Women In IT resource group at JBH, and founded a book club and a wellness mentoring circle through Walmart’s Women in InfoSec resource group. She continues to mentor and lead in areas related to women in information and technology careers. As an AIIM Fellow, Candace is working to champion diversity, specifically for women, within AIIM. Candace was also one of the authors of the best-selling risk management book, Flip This Risk For Enterprise Security, which was featured at AIIM 2022 during the keynote session featuring Dr. Karen Hardy, the coordinating author.