Women's underrepresentation in information technology careers

Women and the Information Technology Industry: Where is the Attraction?

Opportunities in technology companies are fueling the economy, yet few women pursue them. A recent Pittsburgh Technology Council panel discussion revealed that there are many reasons for women's lack of interest in IT, as were personal priorities (Czetli, 2003). "It might be an issue of self-selection -- women might not be risk takers," said Robin Steif, chief financial officer of Maya Design. "It might also have something to do with the work/family issue, because entrepreneurs work way more than 40 hours per week."

Acknowledging that women seeking careers in technology industries faced barriers, there was no evidence that those roadblocks were any more significant than those encountered by minorities or even by men. "I think there is certainly a glass ceiling," said Joy Evans, a management consulting partner at Deloitte & Touche (Czetli, 2003). "But I tend to think of the business world as a pyramid which also limits everyone, including men, as you make your way to the top."

While one major issue was equality and judging people the same, the women on the panel said there were differences between the sexes when it comes to business thinking. However, they added that those differences should be seen as positives, enabling women to bring something new and different to the table. "There are differences, whether you want to believe it or not," Evans said (Czetli, 2003). "Men and women have a different thought process, and that is not a disadvantage. At different levels it gives us something to offer that may not be there."

The majority of the panel's speaker agreed that although women are increasingly working their way throughout the technology and business world, it is still a "man's world," requiring either men or women to change to succeed.

Hypothesis

Experts are drawing the same conclusion they did years ago: Women still have to deal with a "good old boys" network keeping them from senior management's ranks (Weinstein, 2001). However, despite the persistence of this problem, the fact is that the overall career outlook for women in IT has improved a great deal the past few decades. Still, despite the great increase in the number of high-level positions now open to women in IT, few women seek the jobs.

The paper examines the under representation of women in IT, why females constitute such a small percentage of employment in the industry. Computer literacy is not the problem. Young girls do demonstrate high levels of computer literacy but that is not translating into interest in IT as a career. The industry has attracted an image of being a stereotypically male and drab industry, which is an unexciting career path for young women. It appears that teaching methods in IT are discouraging girls from pursuing further study in the IT area and there is a lack of information available to young students on what a career in technology means. The paper hypothesizes that there is more than one reason that women are not attracted to the IT industry, and pinpoints paths that could be explored to increase the numbers of girls in the industry.

Delimitation

This study was limited in that it concentrates on the findings of existing studies. As there is no empirical research, it is difficult to summarize a true opinion of why women are not attracted to IT jobs.

Definition of Terms

CIO-Chief Information Officer

CTO-Chief Technology Officer

IT-Information technology

Programmer -- an individual who writes programs

Software Engineer- a licensed professional engineer who is schooled and skilled in the application of engineering discipline to the creation of software.

Assumptions

There are all kinds of careers that have more women than men. More nurses and elementary school teachers are women. Many people mistakenly make the assumption that If women are not choosing careers in IT, perhaps it because they are choosing things that are better for them. This can be detrimental to the IT industry, which is currently lacking a significant female presence, as it is an assumption that is keeping women from entering the IT industry.

Chapter Two -- Literature Review

Information technology (IT) has become a major a potent force in transforming social, economic, and political life globally. Despite efforts to increase the number of women working in IT, the gender gap has only got wider in the industry (Carr, 2004). Recent statistics show that women hold less than one-quarter of IT jobs. Of the women who do chose to brave the male-dominated IT world, the majority choose project management roles over more technical positions such as programming, design or development.

Along with being outnumbered, women earn significantly less than their male counterparts. Of those female project managers, most have job titles at the lower end of the hierarchy, meaning they're more involved with coordination and administration than with making technical and business decisions.

It appears that recent initiatives to increase women's role in IT, such as school programs that try to get girls involved in math and science and organizations that promote networking among women in tech, just are not working. Stewart Coia, director of HCM practices at Parity, says companies that want to attract and retain women in IT roles need to take a different approach. Women simply are not attracted to careers in IT.

There are many reasons that women may avoid the IT reasons. For instance, women, who often bear more family responsibilities than men, typically value flexibility in the workplace. Therefore, unless companies offer benefits like flexible hours and the ability to work from a variety of locations, women will go elsewhere. These are things that are often missing in the upper echelons of IT positions.

However, IT companies that don't pursue female workers may be subjecting themselves to increasingly unbalanced teams. In the end, says Coia, IT is "wasting a tremendous resource. A large number of university graduates are women, but only a small percentage is going to the top in IT." That means they're going into other industries - and IT's could be missing out on a major portion of the educated population.

Many female and male writers including Sofia (1995), Wajcman (1991), Edge (1995) and MacKay (1995), argue that society largely shapes technological development and processes, and that the relationship between technology and society is a reciprocal one, an interaction in which technology and society are codependent (Davey, 1995). Similarly, gender and gender relations of power are a key part of the conception and design of communication technologies. Traditionally, science and technology have defined technologies in terms of male activities, male culture and male values. As a result, women's access is restricted. However, many studies have revealed that women are actively resisting entering technological fields as a result of the male values associated with it.

Women's alienation from technology can be explained by how technology is perceived by society (Davey, 1995). According to Wajcman (1991), technology is male cultured. "Men want to win over a machine whereas women want to use it as a tool and work with it. Why would women want to model themselves on men, to enter a field that is currently dominated by men with increasingly male influenced values and culture?" For instance, computer programmers are portrayed in society as smart, innovative young men who have disheveled appearances and a lack of interest in the world outside technology. They are seen as loners and losers -- two things few women find appealing.

Some feminists argue that lack of female interest in IT is strongly related to issues of education, equity in access, employment barriers and policies (Davey, 1995). Once women have equal access to the knowledge and tools of technology, they will become proficient in their use and there will be an increased interest in IT. According to Davey (1995): "This argument, however, is a little too simple. Working within traditional liberal structures, it locates the problem with women. It assumes that women need the same type of access and it also assumes that given this access, the balance will occur. What it fails to take into account though, is the male culture and values that are inherently associated with computer and communications technology."

According to Wajcman (1991:19), "this reluctance to enter into typically male dominated fields is to do with the sex-stereotyped definition of technology as appropriate for men" (Davey, 1995). Wajcman (1993:203) believes that the male dominance of technology secures itself by the active exclusion of women. As a result, women's contribution has been minimal and thus, so has their inventiveness. Rather than recognizing equal access to technology, the focus should be differentially privileged access, and on increasing the number of women in the conception and design phases.

Cockburn (1985:20) sums up the argument by stating that it is important "to understand the different relation the sexes have to technology, it is important to recognize the relevance of technology to power and to the emergence of power systems in the past (Davey, 1995)." According to Wajcman (p. 37), in order "to understand any specific process or product, we must ask: who developed it, and why; in whose interest?"

Statistics show that the approach to technology education may be to blame. What seemed like an attractive career option in the 1980s is no longer an attractive option for young women. "In the early 1980s, women were turned on by technical careers because they were new and challenging," explained Susan Metz, executive director of the Lore-El Center for Women and Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ (Robb, 2003).

However, since then, the number of women earning computer science degrees has declined steadily, according to the Women's Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology Development (Robb, 2003). Studies suggest women are losing interest because of how colleges approach technology education. According to a recently completed four-year study of 100 Carnegie Mellon students pursuing computer science degrees, there is a major gender gap in teaching technology these days.

The study, Unlocking the Clubhouse, Women in Computing, was a four-year study of 100 Carnegie Mellon students pursuing computer science (CS) degrees to learn what they thought of the CS curriculum, method of teaching, and how the choices of men and women differ. It revealed that women want a broader picture of the technology field. Unlike male students, who focused on mastering technological skills, women wanted to know how technology fit into a company's bigger picture and how it played a part in daily life. According to the study, this is evidence of a gender gap in technology education and shows that men and women relate to technology differently.

Girls are under-represented when it comes to technology and education" (Shaw, 1999). Gender difference is seen in society, and extends to family and school. Technologies are still not equally accessible to male and female students. Thus, as girls enter adolescence, large numbers of them tend to lose interest in science, math, and computer science. Girls are narrowing the gender gap in science and math, but not in technology. Girls' test scores and course enrollments have increased in these areas, with the exception of computer science.

Experts believe that teachers and the educational system help to cause the gender gap in computer use. A common argument states that the gender separation in the use of the Internet starts as early as kindergarten. Boys gravitate toward computer games and mechanical toys, while girls are more likely to play with dolls or be involved in more social games. Instructors often treat boys differently than girls causing unequal expectations.

In addition, girls in adolescence frequently experience weakening self-perceptions (Miller, Chaika, & Groppe,1996). Many girls in adolescence undergo changes that negatively affect self-image and future choices. As a result, girls may refrain from asking questions and sharing answers. Poor self-image also discourages some girls from taking classes in math, science, and computer science.

The percentage of women has been slowly but surely rising in most formerly male-dominated professions. According to the Census Bureau, women have received more bachelor's degrees than men every year since 1982 (Robb, 2003). In terms of higher degrees, the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession reports that in 1970, women made up only 10% of first-year law students, but by 1999 they comprised 49% of the freshman class. In many ways, women have conmen a long way.

However, in the IT industry, women are seriously lagging behind men in terms of pursuing IT careers. While the number of women online may outnumber men, the number of women being trained in the field has decreased. "When it comes to today's computer culture, the bottom line is that while more girls are on the train, they aren't the ones driving," says Pamela Haag, director of research for the American Association of University Women's Educational Foundation Commission on Technology, Gender and Teacher Education (Robb, 2003).

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) Taskforce on Workforce and Education's study, Building the 21st Century Information Technology WorkForce: Underrepresented Groups in the Information Technology Workforce, revealed that while women comprise about 40% of the total IT workforce, when data entry is eliminated, only 25% of computer professionals are female (Robb, 2003)

To get girls 'under the hood' of technology, they need to see that it gets them where they want to go," Haag continues. "And for a large part of the population, that process must start in the classroom." However, this process has yet to begin. Unlike other professions where women are underrepresented, the situation has been worsening, rather than improving.

While women comprise 55% of those studying toward bachelor's and master's degrees, only 21% are pursuing IT degrees (Robb, 2003). In 1984, 40% of all computer science degrees were awarded to women, but only 29% in 1996. According to the College Board, only 17% of those taking the Advanced Placement test for Computer Science were women.

Some experts believe the lack of strong female role models is another reason for the gender gap in IT between males and females. Dr. Janese Swanson Ed.D suggests that speakers in schools and IT programs must include both genders in nontraditional careers (Swanson, 1999).

One major barrier to getting more women interested in pursuing an IT career is one of perception. "Girls tend to imagine that computer professionals or those who work heavily with information technology live in a solitary, antisocial world," says the AAUW report Tech-Savvy: Educating Girls in the New Computer Age (Robb, 2003). "This is an alienating -- and incorrect -- perception."

Research shows that many girls think of technology as belonging to the "male" world (like football and toying with car engines) (Swanson, 1999). At home, three times as many girls as boys said they did not use their computers at all. Five times as many boys as girls used the technology more than anyone else in the family. Parents purchased technology twice as much for their sons as their daughters.

Many initiatives are underway to provide a more accurate and human face of high-tech professionals, and show that women are present in these fields (Robb, 2003). These programs are targeted at computer science alone, as well as many other types of science or technology.

Hollywood's Women in Film organization, for instance, produced two television public service announcements, with sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, to encourage women and minorities to pursue IT fields. One announcement was directed at teenage girls and the other was directed toward adults, encouraging them to mentor children.

On an ongoing basis, the Labor Department's Women's Bureau has joined forces with NASA in hosting conferences and events throughout the country to attract women to technology professions. Through this program, four Girl Scouts were invited to act as reporters the 100th space shuttle launch, interviewing women working for NASA. Their reports were then web cast by NASA.

Still, beyond transforming the image of the field, ongoing guidance is needed to help someone along their career path. "You need to find a mentor, even if it is a man, who can advise you on career steps and growth along the way," says Mountain View, Calif.-based Catherine Kitcho, formerly director of new ventures at TRW and now a successful consultant who has helped companies such as Cisco Systems, Nortel and NCR launch new products (Robb, 2003). The man who hired her at TRW has been her mentor for the past 12 years.

Finally, the roles that men and women typically assume in society appears to be a major deterrent for women to IT positions. Women looking to build a career in technology find they have to grapple with combining family and work, which may discourage them from the fast pace and demanding schedule of a career in the IT industry. "Women must make difficult choices," said Metz (Robb, 2003). "Once a maternity leave is over, do they quit their jobs or go back to work? And, if they do return to a fast-track career, their job takes over their life."

Chapter Three -- Research Design

Data Needed and Data Gathering Method

The previous literature review reveals that females are discouraged from computer use for the following reasons:

teachers and parents assume that girls are not as interested as boys and encourage them less.

A there are few adult and peer female role models.

A computers are associated with machines and math, both of which are thought of as male domains.

A software has not been developed with women's interests in mind.

A computers are used less in language, arts and humanities classrooms where teachers tend to be female and the population of girls is more dominant.

The above data describes the primary reasons that women fail to pursue careers in IT. This paper aims to provide a series of recommendations for future interest in IT. The data gathering methods that will be used to complete the empirical research needed for this study include live, face-to-face interviews, with written notes (may be taped); and survey questionnaires.

Research Methodology

Since the overall objective of this thesis is to study the reasons that women are not attracted to the IT industry and prove the hypothesis that the IT industry would benefit from removing barriers to women, the theoretical part has attempted to establish the foundation for following study. This paper's literature review: supports the hypothesis that there are many barriers that defer women from pursuing careers in IT; describes the various reasons that women avoid IT; and recommends a variety of measures that could influence future female interest in IT.

The purpose of theoretical part is to possibly draw a linkage between women and the IT industry CRM, and consequently point out the research problem: why women are not pursuing careers in IT.

The actual research is defined as exploratory in nature with aim to provide an insight into previous research on gender and IT from both a strategic and technical perspective. To serve the objective, the study was conducted in the following ways:

Making a survey by written questionnaire

Conducting interviews with women in IT and non-IT industries

Comparing and evaluating existing literature

Chapter Four -- Outline of Proposed Study

When the world's first electronic tube computer, the University of Pennsylvania's ENIAC, went online in 1945, all six of its programmers were female (Robb, 2003). One of these women, Betty Holberton, later designed the control console for UNIVAC I, wrote the FORTRAN test suites for the National Bureau of Standards and chaired the committee that set the standards for COBOL.

However, six decades later, it is clear that IT has evolved into a mostly male profession. This paper will examine the reasons behind the lack of women pursuing computer-related career paths and provide recommendations for attracting and keeping more women in the field.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has documented a decline in the percentage of female IT professionals over the last 10 to 15 years; for instance, women accounted for 36.6% of U.S. computer programmers in 1987, whereas in 2001 they accounted for just 26.6% (Clements, 2002). Jane Margolis, the author of "Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women In Computing," studied male and female computer science students at Carnegie Mellon University, and her findings indicate that men and women experience computers differently: Boys often feel a "gravitational pull" toward computers early on, which is fostered by hands-on encouragement, often from their fathers, while girls receive less encouragement. Another discouraging factor Margolis notes is sexism, especially in classes where there are more male than female students.

Encouraging more women to pursue IT careers is a challenge, but this paper aims to address this challenge by coming up with ways to draw women to the IT industry, including designing courses that offer students a solid goal, such as solving real-world problems using computing skills. Another potential method would be developing recruitment policies that give more consideration to students that show a desire to be computer scientists, have high grades, and want to contribute to the community, rather than focus on young men who are naturally drawn to computers.