The Gender Issue in Information Technology: Collegiate and Corporate Solutions

Abstract

A paradox is occurring today in the Information Technology (IT) field. At the very moment that a large unmet demand for IT workers exists, approximately one-half of our work force is largely declining the offer. The Information Technology Association of America estimates the number of IT jobs languishing at a staggering 840,000 (eWeek, 2000). Though women in IT earn 60 percent more than women in other occupations, their numbers have dropped from 40 percent in 1986 to 29 percent today (CIO, 2000). The White House Council of Economic Advisors (CIO, 2000) estimates that women are leaving the IT job market at twice the rate of men. This report focuses on the ongoing strategies employed for the integration and retention of women in the collegiate and the corporate sphere (Frenkel, 1991).