Well, a lot of the time when you get women in tech support, it is because they have an interest in tech and have to work harder to be taken seriously and to get where they are. Things are getting better thankfully, but there is still a whiff around in places that technology is a "mans game", and unfortunately some guys really aren't that good at it.

Yep, this is pretty much what I came to say. I've worked with a lot of fantastic engineers, but also plenty of naff ones who are just kind of there by default.

Most of the women I've worked with in IT, especially older ones, have had to work really hard to prove themselves and made a deliberate effort to become engineers/consultants/etc. As such, I have to say, I can't think of any woman I've worked with who I wouldn't consider very good. But, the same size is sadly very small - lots of women in project management and business generally, but I see very few beyond helpdesk.

Yeah, I've had the same experience. During my career in IT, I've worked with two female bosses (both of which were very good), and several other female colleagues as well. I can't think of a bad one to be honest.

The female colleague at my first job wasn't quite as technically skilled as I was, but she knew her limits, did a good job overall and wasn't afraid to ask advice if stuck with something.

Contrast that with some male techs I've come across that just blundered on, made a hash of things and refused to acknowledge their own limitations...

Too true!