Day care is another worthwhile consideration for any company committed to retaining talented women in the long term -- especially those keeping the company's systems humming. For staff, the work/life balance can be more of an issue in IT than in other fields, as maintaining operability around the clock often translates to erratic hours. On-premises day care or flexible spending accounts can help prevent having to replace those who might otherwise be compelled to bow out.

"At an executive level, [paying for] day care tends not to be as big of an issue, but it's different for the average-Joe technician," says Patricia Stewart, a former help desk specialist who left IT shortly after having her second child. "Being a mother of two, having to come into the office in the middle of the night, and having to work weekends just became too difficult."

Stewart, who now works at a day-care center and is trying to figure out whether she can return to IT, is representative of another problem for women weighing the balance between career and family: keeping up with the pace of technology after taking time off.

In an industry in which any given month can herald sweeping changes to how one's job is done, re-entering the workforce can be challenging. Given the skills shortage most enterprises are facing, this problem has a double edge. By backing off rigid skills requirements, assessing previous work experience wisely, and instilling an effective training policy, companies could position themselves to leverage a hidden source of tech talent -- women interested in returning to IT.

Changing the face of IT