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IT Workforce Project Interview Findings

Gender & IT Education. IT Workforce Project Interview Findings. Susan C. Herring with James Marken and Sharon Stoerger. Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007. Interviewees. N=168 (F 109, M 59) Round 1: 136 (87 F, 49 M) Round 2: 118 (82 F, 36 M)

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IT Workforce Project Interview Findings

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  1. Gender & IT Education IT Workforce Project Interview Findings Susan C. Herring with James Marken and Sharon Stoerger Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007 Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  2. Interviewees • N=168 (F 109, M 59) • Round 1: 136 (87 F, 49 M) • Round 2: 118 (82 F, 36 M) • Round 3: 60 (43 F, 17 M) • Demographic profile: • UB 18%, UIUC 15%, IU 31%, UM 16%, UW 19% • CS 41%, I’matics 11%, IST 11%, LIS 18%, MIS 19% • PhD 31%, Masters 35%, UG 35% • Caucasian 77%, Asian 18%, AA 2%, Other 2% • US 82%, non-US 18% • Higher attrition for M, IU, MIS, UG, US • Generalizations for students overall and broken down by gender only Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  3. Interviewees • Both female and male interviewees presented themselves as successful students (63% v. 65%) overall, and they agreed that success was ‘understanding’ and ‘good grades’ • Most were highly (35% v. 39%) or moderately (38% v. 47%) ambitious • Most were highly (26% v. 22%) or moderately (23% v. 28%) confident about their employment prospects • Most were moderately confident in their skills (48% v. 50%) • No gender differences in self-efficacy Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  4. Satisfaction with Program • Students' overall experience with their programs was positive in Rounds 1 and 2, less so in Round 3 • Men were somewhat more positive in Rounds 1 (54% v. 64%) and 2 (64% v. 73%) • Men were strongly more positive in Round 3 (33% v. 65%) • Most common reasons for F & M dissatisfaction in Round 3 were ‘advisors’ and ‘academic research’ • The students' main wish for change was to incorporate more practical experiences and less theory into the curriculum(12% v. 28%) • Some women also wished for better support (16%) and better work-life balance (12%) • Some men also wished for more funding (22%) Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  5. Support Factors • More women than men • received mentoring from faculty in past year (86% v. 71%) and got what they needed from it (74% v. 67%) • considered friends important to their satisfaction (79% v. 53%) • credited their personal life for helping to create a good work-life balance (43% v. 27%) • said they has a poor work-life balance (30% v. 17%) • More men than women • felt a sense of belonging in their programs (23% v. 41%) • belonged to clubs and organizations (49% v. 71%), including in leadership roles (45% v. 62%) • felt that their personal values matched those of their field (43% v. 61%) Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  6. Computer Use • Men and women described using computers equally often (mode: 7-10 hrs/days) and primarily for communication (26% v. 22%) • Most know how to program (88% v. 97%) and know the same programming languages • Still, men reported • higher levels of computer skill (mode: 4 v. 5) • being more "techie” (very techie: 13% v. 31%) • Men and women defined "techie" somewhat differently • women placed greater emphasis on “understanding hardware” (19% v. 10%) and “tinkering” (14% v. 2%) • men placing greater emphasis on “passion/ obsession” (17% v. 23%) and “other” (5% v. 21%) Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  7. Gender Equity Issues • Men more than women • had been recruited (17% v. 28%) • thought that both men and women were treated fairly in their programs (34% v. 47%) • Women were more likely • to think that women/minorities should be recruited (33% v. 11%) • to be aware of specific recruitment/support activities by their programs • to have participated in such activities (81% v. 57%) • Students tended to say that men are advantaged in their IT field (35% v. 31%), and expressed a somewhat dim view of that (41% v. 27%) • But don't call themselves 'feminists’ (40% v. 65%) Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  8. Choice of Study Program • Most students selected their major out of interest/enjoyment (52% v. 53%) • Men and women described receiving similar gratifications from their IT studies: • creating something useful; making a difference; solving problems; overcoming challenges • Women were much more willing to consider CS/MIS (50%) than men were willing to consider LIS/IST (29%) as potential fields of study • For women, the main reason for not choosing CS or MIS was a perceived lack of technical background and skills • Some men commented that LIS and IST were not technical enough Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  9. What Have We Learned? • More similarities than differences between F and M students, but some gender trends • Most students generally satisfied; few attributed their problems to gender issues • Seemed comfortable with the gender status quo • F and M students have different relationships to the technical aspects of IT • Changing women's understandings about programming could increase the number of women in technical IT fields • F students value tech IT fields more than M value applied IT fields • Changing men's (and society's) prejudices toward applied, human-centered IT fields could reduce gendered hierarchies within IT Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

  10. Gender & IT Education Thank you! Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007 Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana University, 2007

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