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Informing Science + IT Education Conference 2003 Proceedings
| Informing Science + IT Education Conference |
| Pori, Finland June 24-27, 2003 |
| An Exploration of Dualisms in Female Perceptions of IT Work |
| L. von Hellens, S.H. Nielsen, and J. Beekhuyzen |
| Griffith University, Australia |
| Griffith University, Australia |
| Griffith University, Australia |
| This paper explores the way that professional women working in the IT industry discuss the nature of their work. |
| Previous work suggested that the way women talk about their work reinforces widely held impressions of the |
| Information Technology industry . In this paper Structuration Theory illuminates how this talk is characterised by |
| dualisms which are not always consistent with the womens' lived experiences. The interview data reveals |
| contradictions in these dualisms, indicating that these polarised views of women and IT work are being undermined |
| by women in the IT industry. The perceptions of the interviewees are discussed as structures of significa-tion that |
| need to be altered in order to successfully challenge these dualisms. This paper suggests that mentoring, interactions |
| with professional IT organisations, and professional IT women talking to fe-males in their IT education years can |
| give new ideas to the perceptions of IT and thus challenge these dualisms. It is suggested that exposing females in |
| their IT education years to the professional IT women who are challenging these dualisms is an essential part of |
| transforming these structures of signification. This research is part of an ongoing project (WinIT) commenced in |
| 1995, which seeks to understand the declining female participation in IT education and work. In order to have a |
| better understanding of the way women help configure the institutional realm of IT work, we propose that more |
| qualitative studies of women at work in IT as well as women talking about IT are needed. |
| Keywords: Women in IT, Structuration Theory, Australia, Mentoring |
ISSN
1535-07-03
Unless otherwise indicated, this paper has undergone blind external review by three or more reviewers.
Types of Papers: A Best Paper, Regular Paper, Short Paper, Informal Paper,
Unrefereed Panel Paper
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