Why don't more women major in information systems?

Abstract

Purpose

Increasing enrollments in colleges of business have not been matched by women majoring in the field of information systems (IS). This paper aims to explore reasons why women choose not to major in information technology disciplines and to suggest potential solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a behavioral model based on the theory of reasoned action and a survey of the students enrolled in six sections of a college‐wide MIS course to help them answer the fundamental question “Why don't more women major in information systems?” They also used partial least squares analysis to estimate the parameters of the model and the results of several open‐ended survey questions to validate their statistical findings, leading to a richer triangulation of study results.

Findings

The study found that a “genuine interest in IS” and the “influence of family” most account for a woman's decision to major in information systems. Equally important are those items that did not appear to attract females, including such matters as “job‐related factors” or the “influence of fellow students or friends”. These findings have important recruitment and retention implications as well as suggesting some avenues for further study.

Originality/value

The analyses suggest that there is much faculty and business recruiters can do to encourage more females to major in IT‐related disciplines. One is to encourage women to develop more interest in the field. Another is to create more study options for women with hard‐science talents who want to pursue technologically‐intensive careers. Finally, teachers, academic institutions, and employers might find it useful to address some of the misconceptions that women might have about IT‐related jobs – for example, that IT jobs are only for males or computer geeks – and stress the many positive dimensions of IT career paths.

Citation

Croasdell, D., McLeod, A. and Simkin, M.G. (2011), "Why don't more women major in information systems?", Information Technology & People, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 158-183. https://doi.org/10.1108/09593841111137340