Volume 7
Volume 7, Number 21 |
April 7, 2009 |
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John C. Molluzzo
Catherine Dwyer
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Abstract: A recent survey of 300+ undergraduates found few differences in how males and females use technology. Most students described themselves as experienced or very experienced with computers, and familiar with web browsing, e-mail, word processing, and multimedia tasks such as downloading and editing video. Male and female students spend roughly the same amount of time with computers doing roughly the same type of activities. However, in a survey of undergraduates in a general computing class, 73% of the females strongly indicated they would not consider a computing major, compared with 63% of the males (p < .01). So while men and women have similar skills and experiences with technology, women report much lower interests in technology as a career. This paper reports on the results of this survey and discusses its implications for IT education and the IT field.
Keywords: gender, computing careers, computing skills, IT curriculum
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Recommended Citation: Molluzzo and Dwyer (2009). Gender and Technology Careers: the Gap Continues. Information Systems Education Journal, 7 (21). http://isedj.org/7/21/. ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2006: §2133. ISSN: 1542-7382.)