Reports of the death of the glass ceiling for female workers are premature, in the IT sector at least, according to one recruiter.

Yesterday, recruiter.co.ukreported the results of a survey by recruitment consultant Robert Half showing that less than a quarter of HR directors believe that men have an advantage over women in the workplace.

Paul Winchester, managing director of IT and telecoms recruiter Greythorn, does still sees inequality in the sector: “Getting to the top in IT has for too long been a male preserve. Our research has shown that in the UK 70% of female IT employees consider their gender a barrier to success and 85% of women believe gender discrimination occurs in the sector.”

Winchester adds that while Virginia Rometty’s appointment as senior vice president of IBM is a good sign, there is still work to do: “ Of course, one appointment won’t solve what is a troublingly pervasive problem, but it is a very positive step and another nail in the coffin of the myth that IT is a men-only industry.”