The Past Decade View of the IS Workforce and Gender Literature: A Systematic Review

Due to the demand of Information Systems (IS) professionals, gender in the IS workforce (ISWF) has been a continuing research topic. Despite these efforts, there remains a need for a greater understanding of gender theory and an individual’s decision to pursue, succeed, and obtain promotion within the IS workforce. This research uses a systematic literature review process to critically examine the research from the last decade on gender and the ISWF. A conceptual model, ISWF Multi-Factor Model, is introduced combining IS and vocational guidance theories to categorize the focus of research identified in the systematic literature review into four areas: Individual, Workforce, Individual Influences, and Environmental Influences. The findings of this study outline the current state of gender and ISWF research and is relevant to research and practice

Gender Bias in Information Systems Research: A Literature Review

Gender bias is a systemic, unfair difference in the way men and women are treated in a particular domain. We conduct a thematic review of 82 papers out of 7,260 total papers found in the IS Basket of 8 journals that centre on themes related to gender, identifying extant domains of contribution and qualifying gaps in gender bias research. The papers fall into three broad categories that i) incorporate gender as a variable in empirical research, ii) study gender imbalances in the IT industry, or iii) discuss gender bias in the academic IS profession. Based on the review, we delineate an agenda for further work to investigate the role of gender in the IS academic space

Effective measures to foster girls’ interest in secondary computer science education: A Literature Review

The interest of girls in computing drops early during primary and secondary education, with minimal recovery in later education stages. In combination with the growing shortage of qualified computer science personnel, this is becoming a major issue, and also a target of numerous studies that examine measures, interventions, and strategies to boost girls’ commitment to computing. Yet, the results of existing studies are difficult to navigate, and hence are being very rarely employed in classrooms. In this paper, we summarize the existing body of knowledge on the effective interventions to recruit and retain girls in computer science education, intending to equip educators with a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate map of interventions recommended in the existing literature. To this end, we perform an aggregated umbrella literature review of 11 existing reviews on the topic, together accumulating joined knowledge from over 800 publications, and formulate the findings in a map of 22 concrete interventions structured in six groups according to their phase and purpose

A Feminist Ethics of Power Perspective on Gender Inequalities in Information Systems Development

With the rise of socio-political movements seeking to improve women\u27s circumstances in society, research on gender has been continuously growing in Information Systems (IS) research. Despite this growth, critical-ethical perspectives on gender power dynamics are lacking. Therefore, we critically investigate the perceptions of male and female IS developers on gender inequalities using feminist ethics of power. We find that interviewees coincide in the belief that inequalities are improving and that gender is not a limiting factor of competencies. However, men and women deviate regarding perceptions of respect and validation, equality, and the drivers that (re-)produce disparities. Additionally, women exhibit fragmented conceptualizations of inclusion. Through a critical analysis of these findings, we expose ethical dilemmas that arise from these contradictory perceptions of gender inequalities and propose pathways for transforming the prevailing order. Our study contributes by advancing a broader perspective on inequalities through the lens of feminist ethics of power

Building a Shared Understanding of Female Participation in IT through Collaboration: A Shared Mental Model Approach

Information Technology has never been more pervasive and accessible, yet decreasing female participation in the field (and the variety of reported causes) presents a ‘wicked problem’ for IT educators and professionals. In this article, we suggest that female students’ decision-making is adversely impacted by an inaccurate, shared understanding of IT. Subsequently, the problem of low female participation in IT requires a practical, collaborative solution. Employing an abductive research approach, we undertook a qualitative, exploratory study of female-only schools in Ireland using the #MakeITWork programme. During this multi-phased programme, we conducted (i) focus groups to explore female students’ perception of IT undergraduate degree programmes and careers; (ii) knowledge exchange (KX) sessions to communicate IT degree and career opportunities; and (iii) a survey to assess the efficacy of the approach in changing perceptions. Data analysis revealed that a new accurate shared mental model (SMM) was needed to support female students’ education decisions. This facilitated theory development with respect to female students’ decision to pursue IT education and careers. Study findings indicate that while attitudes towards IT careers are largely outdated, these views can be changed through a collaborative intervention workshop approach. This can be achieved through greater stakeholder collaboration and better quality information available via novel formats

How Can Universities Best Encourage Women to Major in Information Systems?

Despite both government and industry initiatives, the under-representation of women in information systems (IS) continues. Can academia help right this imbalance by helping fill the pipeline for technically qualified female employees? We analyze the results of four experimental interventions based on empirical studies and prior surveys designed to address this issue. We conducted these interventions as projects in an introductory undergraduate IS class in a public university in the western US. Sadly, none were effective in encouraging more female students to consider majoring in IS

Hello Diversity! Digital Ideation Hackathon: Fostering Gender Equality in Digital Innovation

This panel report outlines key insights from the Hello Diversity! Hackathon on gender equality in the workplace, held digitally in November 2020. The one-day event with more than 150 participants featured panel discussions and ideation sessions to enable the participants to develop innovative tools, strategies, and processes to minimize gender inequality in workforces involved in digital innovation. Overall, the hackathon aimed to build bridges between research and practice to derive answers on how existing barriers towards more gender equality in digital innovation processes and outcomes can be addressed. The theoretically informed challenges that were tackled during the event concerned topics such as stereotypes and discrimination, incentivizing workforce equality, and necessary support infrastructures in public and private spheres. The developed solutions indicate that much remains to be done to address the lack of processes, organizational structures, and holistic knowledge regarding the importance and benefits of diversity and inclusion in digital innovation. The hackathon culminated in pitches made on the envisioned solutions to kick-start their implementation and encourage research support and progress

The factors that influence women to choose and pursue a career in the IT sector: the case of Estonia

Estonia as well as the rest of the EU is struggling to find enough IT specialists. It is estimated that by 2020, the EU will have 500,000 of vacant IT positions which has a hindering effect on the economy that is moving towards more digitalization. Women are under-represented in IT roles and the inclusion of more female IT specialists could offer a solution that is both contributing to the development of the IT sector and the economy as a whole. A larger participation of women in IT roles could also decrease the pay gap that Estonia has and support gender equality. This focus of this thesis was to find out which factors enable women to choose an IT-career. The research question was the following: what are the main influential factors that have encouraged women to choose a career in IT? In order to identify the enablers, eleven women were asked about their journey to IT including which aspects influenced their career choice and when the choice was made. The analysis of the responses was done by identifying the emerging narratives and themes as well as considering other research on the same subject. Gender and IT does not have a strong theorization as an academic discipline, however, some authors have used social constructivism to provide the frame in which to work in. Social constructivism was also used in this thesis and it was complemented with decision theory as well as gender-focused theories. The results of the analysis suggest that the choice that leads to an IT-career is often made young and that it is influenced by many social and internal factors. Practical tasks and positive feedback was mentioned several times by the interviewees as an enabling factor. Social relations were another influencing aspect in finding the way to IT. Curiosity and grit were also enablers that help women working in IT.https://www.ester.ee/record=b5241627*es

Sensemaking and Success in the Transition from Community Colleges to University IS/CS/CE Programs

Increasing the enrollment of women, minority, and other underrepresented populations in undergraduate information systems and computing programs is an important social issue. We explore ways of attracting and retaining community college transfer students—an important source of underrepresented students —by examining their sensemaking efforts as they transition to four-year universities. We conducted a qualitative study to test sensemaking theory and develop recommendations for retaining community college transfer students in undergraduate information systems, computer science, and computer engineering programs