Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT

Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT

Amy B. Woszczynski, Janette Moody
Copyright: © 2011 |Pages: 8
ISBN13: 9781609605872|ISBN10: 160960587X|EISBN13: 9781609605889
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch709
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Woszczynski, Amy B., and Janette Moody. "Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT." Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, IGI Global, 2011, pp. 1991-1998. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch709

APA

Woszczynski, A. B. & Moody, J. (2011). Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications (pp. 1991-1998). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch709

Chicago

Woszczynski, Amy B., and Janette Moody. "Interventions and Solutions in Gender and IT." In Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, edited by Information Resources Management Association, 1991-1998. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2011. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60960-587-2.ch709

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

The role of women in technology-related fields began with promising contributions from pioneers like Grace Hopper. In recent years, women have moved away from information technology (IT) fields, and the number of women selecting IT majors in universities continues to decline. Likewise, the number of women employed in the IT workforce remains low and declining. Researchers have recognized the problem and have investigated the many reasons for low participation of women in IT-related fields. Researchers have proposed various interventions to fill the pipeline and retain women in computing. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the current state of women in IT. We focus on girls and women at various life stages, from early education to the IT workplace. We also provide a discussion of the various methods and appropriate interventions that may be employed to encourage women to become empowered users of technology worldwide. We use a broad definition of IT, which includes computer science (CS), computer engineering, information systems (IS), information technology (IT), and related professional fields. By examining research from multiple technologyrelated fields, we gain a clearer picture of the many ways that women may participate in IT. Recent research on gender and IT has used an interdisciplinary approach, which has greatly expanded our potential for understanding why women decide not to pursue IT-related fields and how to implement appropriate interventions. Researchers from topics as diverse as IS, psychology, social sciences, education, and feminism, have taken a distinctive approach to understanding why women are not better represented in the IT workplace. We believe this broad, interdisciplinary approach has great potential to understand motivations for women pursuing IT-related careers. As Trauth & Niederman (2006, p. 8) said, “…the IT profession is challenged with meeting the demand to enlarge the IT workforce by recruiting and retaining personnel from historically underrepresented groups.” This chapter looks at women in IT, shedding light on one historically underrepresented group.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.