WASHINGTON -- Bridging the gender gap in IT might require a bold act on the part of policymakers, something along the lines of Title IX, the landmark civil rights law barring gender discrimination in education.

So mused Lisa Schlosser, deputy associate administrator of e-Government and Information Technology at the Office of Management and Budget Office, who spoke on a panel discussion Thursday at the annual FOSE government IT conference.

"Is there a Title IX for technology that we need to think about? Title IX was very transformational for women. You know, it's kind of how I got the opportunity," Schlosser said. "I'd just challenge us all to think, is there something bold ... is there something like that that we really need to promote so that we can get more folks into technology early?"

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Schlosser and the other panelists, women who hold senior tech positions in industry and government, spoke of the need to diversify the IT workforce, particularly in terms of gender. Schlosser noted that recent studies have indicated that women hold only around one quarter of all IT jobs, while they account for roughly half of the overall workforce.

Short of a major piece of legislation reminiscent of Title IX moving through Congress to boost technical education for women and minorities -- a dubious prospect in the current political climate -- there are other, shorter-term steps that businesses and schools can take to gin up interest and boost recruiting in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math, panelists suggested.

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Those efforts could start with an expansion of the understanding of where STEM degrees are applicable.

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