Gender Identity and Systems Development

Abstract

This article draws on interviews and case study research on gender-IT relations to examine the relationship between gender identity and IT development activities. It explores the intertwining of gender and technological identity for women in office work contexts, a location where a boundary between the design and use of IT systems has long been recognised. It is important to explore identity construction within this framework of design and use as separate activities since women’s identity is constrained on both sides of this perceived boundary. The article first explores issues for women as IT professionals, then as users of IT-based work systems and lastly, it discusses the feasibility of constructing gender identities that encompass and recognise the technical work that both developers and users do.