A major support group for the female demographic has highlighted the problems which many of them can face in an IT-centric working environment.

Maggie Berry, the director of the career development and networking website womenintechnology.co.uk, said there is a range of factors working against women establishing themselves in some of the top positions in IT.

She said there is a "pipeline of talent coming through", adding that "not enough girls are necessarily studying computer science at A-level, certainly not at degree level".

Ms Berry noted that the pressures of having children, getting the chances to advance up the career ladder and the lack of flexible working could also impact on the gender's progression in IT.

She concluded: "There are a lot of different factors that go into making it male-centric and we'd love to see that change."

Today was Ada Lovelace Day, an occasion dedicated to women excelling in technology, with people encouraged to write a blog about a woman associated with the industry.

More than half of small businesses (53 per cent) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support. London-based Connect conducted the research in 2007.