Analysis of workplace characteristics and professional environments

¶ … occupation of computer programmer reflects a number of traditional components of society in the United States. Demographically, the profession is largely made up of while males in their late thirties. As such, the profession reflects stratification by race, class, and gender. However, recent changes in the profession, such as outsourcing of programming jobs to India, threaten this perception. At the same time, the degree of publicity such outsourcing has received (when compared to attention paid to job losses incurred by Black Americans) continues to reflect the race stratification in American society.

A computer programmer, by definition, is an individual who creates programs that allow computers to perform specific functions. This includes creating computer programs, and designing and testing logical structures for solving computer problems. In the simplest terms, programmers tell computers how, where, and when to access information. Commonly used computer languages include Java, C++, and COBOL (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

The demographic composition of computer programmers largely reflects stratification by race, class, and gender. Notes the Department for Professional Employees, "The typical computer professional is a 37-year-old white man." Largely white males. Few computer programmers are elderly or in their teens. Further, computer programmers are much less likely to be female or members of a racial minority than other technicians or professionals (Department for Professional Employees).

A number of factors come into play to account for the low number of females involved in computer programming. Mayfield notes that women who enter college use computers at an almost equal level as their male counterparts. A 2001 study a survey by the University of California noted that 77.8% of first-year female students, and 79.5% of men, reported frequent computer use. However, these young women tended to have a much lower confidence level regarding their computer skills. As a result, women tend to be far less involved in more complex areas of computing, such as programming, and spend less time playing computer games or on the Internet (Mayfield).

The gender gap is especially great in the area of computer programming. 9.3% of the freshmen men surveyed said they planned a career in computer programming, while only 1.8% of women made such a plan. Even those whom who do well in computer science in an undergraduate level may have their confidence further undermined because males tend to have more hands-on experience, and higher levels of confidence (Mayfield). Interestingly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes, "the gender gap in the computer occupations has widened since 1989 while it has been narrowing among other professions."

The domination of the computer programming profession by males reflects stereotypical household organization of males as primary bread earners. In 2003, the median income of programmers was $60,290, with the highest 10% earning over $96,860 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). These income levels are significant, and likely place the male computer programmer above female household members in terms of earning power.

As a result, the computer programming field in the United States represents a reflection of the male as the primary bread earner in a family. While the specific job tasks differ from traditionally male-dominated industrial jobs, the gender composition and pay rate of this field continues to perpetuate tradition male-female dichotomies in income.

However, at first glance, recent changes to the ethnic the makeup of the profession indicate that stratification by race may be less prevalent than in the past among computer programmers. Recently, there has been a great deal of attention paid to the outsourcing of programming jobs to areas such as India, and the immigration of Indian workers into the United States (Rowe). Trends such as outsourcing to India and the hiring of Indian employees within the U.S. flies against the traditional demographic trend for computer programmers. While programmers in India are most likely male, they are certainly not of Caucasian descent, and certainly not American. There has been a significant amount of criticism of this trend, as evidenced by Rowe, who writes, "American firms are still importing H-1B workers while home-grown Americans cannot find work."

Despite the well-publicized loss of jobs that are commonly held by white collar males in American society, Leondar-Wright argues that, in fact, blacks are experiencing more serious job losses. However, the United States is much less up in arms about the job losses experienced by those of African-American descent. Here, we see how, even in the loss of jobs, American society tends to value White, males above other races or genders. Notes Leondar-Wright, "Media coverage of today's unemployment crisis often showcases white men who have lost high-paying industrial or information-technology jobs ... Recent job losses have hit black workers harder than white workers: black unemployment rose twice as fast as white unemployment in the last recession." Despite this, the loss of jobs among computer programmers has received much more attention. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. noted in 1968, "When there is massive unemployment in the black community, it is called a social problem. But when there is massive unemployment in the white community, it is called a depression" (cited in Leondar-Wright). Here, even in difficult times, American society clings to racial and class stratification.