IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bit/bsrysr/v12y2021i1p80-95n2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gender Disparity in Students’ Choices of Information Technology Majors

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang Yu

    (Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States)

  • Gros Tristen

    (Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States)

  • Mao En

    (Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States)

Abstract

Background: The gender disparity in the Information Technology (IT) field has persisted over the years. In 2018, only 27.2% of IT workers were women. Once hired, women face more challenges, and they are leaving the field twice as fast as men are. The misconception that women are weak in tech is one of the root causes of gender disparity issues in IT. Objectives: We examine the gender disparity in students’ choices of IT majors, as well as the decision process of Computer Information Systems (CIS) graduates. Methods/Approach: We use the United States public universities’ student data from 2010 to 2018. Both the Pooled and the Satterthwaite t-test are used to investigate the gender disparity issue among the students. Results: Our results support our hypothesis that female students are statistically less likely to choose CIS than their male peers are. An additional analysis of students’ grades in CIS courses shows that female students perform equally well as male students do. We did not find any evidence that it takes longer for female students to get the CIS degree; however, female students did change their majors more often. Conclusions: Female students tend to avoid IT majors; they often think they may not do well in the courses; however, such an assumption is not true. Our findings provide strategies for university and high school administration to be more proactive in developing recruiting strategies to attract and retain female CIS students.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang Yu & Gros Tristen & Mao En, 2021. "Gender Disparity in Students’ Choices of Information Technology Majors," Business Systems Research, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 80-95, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:bit:bsrysr:v:12:y:2021:i:1:p:80-95:n:2
    DOI: 10.2478/bsrj-2021-0006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.2478/bsrj-2021-0006
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.2478/bsrj-2021-0006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reena Patel & Mary Jane C. Parmentier, 2005. "The Persistence of Traditional Gender Roles in the Information Technology Sector: A Study of Female Engineers in India," Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press, vol. 2(3), pages 29-46.
    2. Nishtha Langer & Ram D. Gopal & Ravi Bapna, 2020. "Onward and Upward? An Empirical Investigation of Gender and Promotions in Information Technology Services," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 383-398, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dong, Lingfeng & Wu, Zhenwei & Ji, Ting & Tu, Yu, 2024. "Informing or persuading? Unveiling the complex dynamics of live chat in online labor markets," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Woszczynski, Amy B. & Dembla, Pamila & Zafar, Humayun, 2016. "Gender-based differences in culture in the Indian IT workplace," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 507-519.
    3. Hilal Atasoy & Rajiv D. Banker & Paul A. Pavlou, 2021. "Information Technology Skills and Labor Market Outcomes for Workers," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(2), pages 437-461, June.
    4. Anindita Paul & Krishnan TN & Hugh Scullion, 2018. "Career Progression of Women in the Indian IT Sector: Matching Talent Management Practices and Employee Perspectives," Working papers 274, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode.
    5. Nishtha Langer & Tarun Jain, 2024. "Peer Influence and IT Career Choice," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 642-656, June.
    6. Namrata Gupta, 2016. "Perceptions of the Work Environment: The Issue of Gender in Indian Scientific Research Institutes," Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Centre for Women's Development Studies, vol. 23(3), pages 437-466, October.
    7. Felix Akpojene Ogbo & Mansi Vijaybhai Dhami & Ebere Maureen Ude & Praween Senanayake & Uchechukwu L. Osuagwu & Akorede O. Awosemo & Pascal Ogeleka & Blessing Jaka Akombi & Osita Kingsley Ezeh & Kingsl, 2019. "Enablers and Barriers to the Utilization of Antenatal Care Services in India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-14, August.
    8. Amalia R. Miller & Kamalini Ramdas & Alp Sungu, 2023. "Browsers Don’t Lie? Gender Differences in the Effects of the Indian COVID-19 Lockdown on Digital Activity and Time Use," NBER Working Papers 31919, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    information technology; computer information systems; gender disparity; information technology education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bit:bsrysr:v:12:y:2021:i:1:p:80-95:n:2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciendo.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.