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Women's Professional Identity Formation in the Free/Open Source Software Community

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Abstract

We examine the formation of women’s professional identity in a particular type of male-dominated domain, the free and open source software development communities, and more broadly in information technology. Through an ethnographic analysis of interviews and online forums discussions, we find that women experience two types of discrepancies or gaps that constitute obstacles in the process of identity formation: an image gap and an identity gap. We show the strategies employed by women as they attempt to bridge these gaps; we also find that some of these strategies, while tackling one gap, may also deepen the other.

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  • Metiu, Anca & Obodaru, Otilia, 2008. "Women's Professional Identity Formation in the Free/Open Source Software Community," ESSEC Working Papers DR 08009, ESSEC Research Center, ESSEC Business School.
  • Handle: RePEc:ebg:essewp:dr-08009
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    1. Bruce Kogut & Anca Metiu, 2001. "Open-Source Software Development and Distributed Innovation," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 17(2), pages 248-264, Summer.
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    1. Metiu, Anca & Fayard, Anne-Laure, 2008. "Letters and Scientific Communities," ESSEC Working Papers DR 08016, ESSEC Research Center, ESSEC Business School.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Identity Formation; Self-presentation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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