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Application Week5: Masculinity in the ICT Workplace

Wilson Boaventura

Master of Information Systems Management, Walden University

NSEI - 6721E: Organizational and Social Dimensions of Information Systems

Habib Khan

December 5, 2021
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Gender-Identity Relation

The importance of gender issues in ICT is in constant discussion, mainly concerning the
desired equality of access and opportunities in the labor market for women. At a global level,
there is a tendency to increase the number of women working in the ICT field, but it is still far
from having a parity. Technologies have always been linked to male images and, as they are
associated differently with each of the sexes, they have a significant influence on the
construction of gender identity.
As I have previously mentioned in the discussion room, gender identity is an
anthropological issue. Historically men were given more incentives to work in the field of
mathematics, engineering and technology while women were treated as housewives. That is why
we have seen the ICT workplace acted out mainly by men. A citation from Moore et. Al., (2008)
says more, “The idea that technology is not for women, that women are not technologically-
minded, is strongly embedded not only in Asian thinking, but also that of Europe and America”
(p. 534).
As we have seen above, the biggest problem in the relations between gender and the use
of the ICT results exactly from gender stereotypes. Moore et. Al., (2008) cited “what is classified
as ‘masculine’ is often taken to be of higher status than what is regarded as ‘feminine’ (Evans,
1994)”,

Gender and IT Theories

As we have seen, it is evident that the current relations of women and men concerning
ICT result from social phenomena related to gender issues. There seems to be a consensus on the
advantages of making gender issues visible within companies when promoting equity is sought.
Moore et Al., (2008) cited the following: “Gender is a fundamental way of organizing
and classifying our social experience, since, as Suchman (1994) points out, categories have
politics. In particular, gender is a highly politically charged means of classification (Adam et al.,
2001)”.
Women continues under-represented in the ICT profession, and there are indicators this
will continue in the future (Moore et Al., 2008).
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Wajcman, (2004), cited by Moore et Al., (2008), claims that “the under-representation
of women in the techno science debate, profoundly affects how the world is made. Every aspect
of our lives is touched by socio-technical systems, and unless women are in the engine rooms of
techno-logical production, we cannot get our hands on the levers of power”. The author
emphasize that women would play a more proactive role if they would have greater involvement
in the shaping of technologies and is concerned about the low number of women participating in
computing and ICT, as she considers computer competence and engagement with ICT has a
large impact on social life. Selby et Al., 1997, p. 6 “The fact that women have practically no
voice in the creation of major technological innovations that control our lives is surely to the
detriment of the industry and society as a whole” cited in Moore et Al., (2008),

Application of Gender and IT Theories

The ICT is a growing sector. However, women continue to be under-represented and earn
less than men in the ICT sector. Gender seems to remain a factor affecting involvement within
ICT, whatever socioeconomic and educational groups are. The theories of gender under
discussion here can help to promote knowledge sharing regarding the current situation of women
and men in the area of ICT. These are of great use as a tool to promote women’s work in the ICT
field. As mentioned by Adam et. Al., (2006), “IT offers interesting and well-paid careers, and
under any view of gender equity, IT opportunities should be open to women as much as to men”.
It is necessary to reduce the gap of women participating in the ICT sector. One possible
measure to reduce the women gap in ICT is that institutions and schools motivate young girls to
participate in ICT and innovation events.
Adam et. Al., (2006), reports that “the women in IT problem was first reported in the late
1970s and early 1980s, as it became clear that computing was not gender neutral and where the
under-representation of women began to be regarded as significant. Since then, there have been a
number of campaigns in Western countries to attract more women into IT, often part of wider
campaigns addressing women’s relative absence from science and engineering (Henwood, 1993).
How-ever, as Woodfield (2000) and Henwood (1993) note, these campaigns have little effect on
the poor representation of women in IT, as they ignore the structural reasons why women do not
engage in technological work, concentrating, instead, on publicity campaigns and means for
persuading women into the IT workplace”.
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References

Moore, K., Griffiths, M., Richardson, H. and Adam, A. (2008), Gendered Futures? Women, the

ICT Workplace and Stories of the Future. Gender, Work & Organization, 15: 523-542.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2008.00416.x.

Alison Adam, Marie Griffiths, Claire Keogh, Karenza Moore, Helen Richardson& Angela

Tattersall (2006) Being an ‘it’ in IT: gendered identities in IT work, European Journal of

Information Systems, 15:4, 368-378, DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000631.

https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000631