1. DOES THE GLASS CEILING STILL EXIST FOR WOMEN IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY?
Belinda Edwards
UMUC
Issues, Trends, Strategies for Computer Systems Management
CSMN 601-1111
4 December 2006
Prof. Billy Gay
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2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Barriers ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Socialization ....................................................................................................................................... 4
Bias: Cultural and Corporate ............................................................................................................. 5
Networking ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Professional Growth, Promotion, and Pay Issues .............................................................................. 7
Work-Life Balance .............................................................................................................................. 8
Summary............................................................................................................................................. 10
Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Support Resources ............................................................................................................................. 12
Appendix A: About the Survey Participants ........................................................................................ 13
Appendix B: Survey Questions ........................................................................................................... 14
References.......................................................................................................................................... 15
List of figures/tables
Survey Participant Demographics 1 ...................................................................................................... 9
Recommendations for breaking the ‗glass ceiling‘ 2 ........................................................................... 11
IT Support Resources 3 ...................................................................................................................... 12
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3. Abstract
Purpose – This paper examines current views and research regarding the existence of the glass
ceiling, described as ―the invisible barrier that blocks women from the most senior positions in
corporate America.‖ (Feyerherm & Vick, 2005, p. 210). This study limits its scope to women within
the information technology (IT) industry. The paper assesses prevailing thoughts behind the
cause,persistence, and solution to the glassceiling.
Design/methodology/approach – This study looks at women within the technology industry and
examinestheir experiences throughout their careersas well ascorporate culture. Research was taken
from personal interviews, survey responses, scholarly and industry literature.
Findings – The study found that survey respondents believe that the glass ceiling still exists, but is
less prevalent then in years past. Collective responses show that corporations need to do a better
job in career mentoring, providing role models; encouraging greater participation via women focus
groups, providing and/or maintainingflexible work schedules for working mothers, and sponsoring
forums for discussion of experiences within the IT industry which will reduce feelings of isolation).
Current literature support these findings as well, (i.e. Todd, et. al., 2005; Cohoon& Aspray, 2006;
Riemenschneider, et. al., 2003, Michie& Nelson, 2006).
Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to a focus on women in the IT industry,
with survey responses coming specifically from those currently employed therein.Surveys were taken
of 22 women, currently employed in technical positions ranging from vice president to IT architect,
with professional work experience ranging from 6 to 42 years. The surveys elicited views and
experiences on perceptions of the existence of a glass ceiling. Adirector of work/life balance for a
Fortune 500 company also participated and offered insight on corporate policy specific to workplace
equality and promotion. The scope of this report could be widened to incorporate comparison
research of Caucasian and African-American women in this industry, as experiences both parallel
and contrast.
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4. Barriers
Accenture Consulting conducted a study of 1,200 executives in eight countries, including the U.S.,
Australia, Austria and the Philippines. In all four countries, about 70% of women and 57% of men
believe an invisible barrier--a glass ceiling--prevents women from getting ahead in business (Clark,
2006). The belief in the glass ceiling is one of the contributing factors to the under representation of
women in information technology (IT). According to the 2003 Information Technology Association of
America (ITAA) Blue Ribbon Panel on Information Technology (IT) Diversity (2003) report, the
percentage of women in the IT workforce in 1996 was 41% and fell to 34.9% in 2002
(Riemenschneider et al., 2003, p. 3). Together, these perceptions and facts have caused
government and industry to examine the reasons behind the decline and to offer ways to encourage
girls to consider working in IT as well as to retain women currently employed in IT.
A report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Womenand Minorities in Science,
Engineering, and Technology Development states, ―The Commission recognizes that . . . gender
stereotypes are still pervasive in professional life. For women . . . these problems are manifested in
inadequate work and family lifeaccommodation, unequal pay scales and advancement . . . . ‖(Allen,
2005; CAWMSET, 2000, p. 4). Several factors have been identified as barriers for women in IT: (1)
socialization; (2) bias; (3) professional advancement, and (4) work-life balance.
Socialization
A 2002 studyentitledA Nation Onlinestates that ―as of September, 2001, 90 percent of all US children
were using computers and internet use was almost identical: 53.9 percent males and 53.8 female‖
(Cohoon & Aspray, 2006, p.4).Socialization begins at birth, impacting educational expectations (grade
school and college major selection),and carries forward to employment pursuits.Parents‘ and
teachers‘attitudes towardbehavior and the roles of boys and girls, combined with the amount of
computer use at school and home, often correlatesto whether a girl has a positive outlook toward
computers. Expectations of students concerning their ability to pursue various male-and female-
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5. dominated occupations correspond to prevail patterns of occupational sex typing (Michie & Nelson,
2006). As a survey participantstated so eloquently:
I think in many ways our socialization handicaps us in the IT industry much the same as it does
in the automobile (i.e. mechanic) industry. Men spit out names, attributes and speeds in IT,
like they talk pistons, cams, cylinders, etc. on cars. Fedora, Xen, Firefox, dual core, cell, MB,
Petaflop, SCSI, NAS, SAN, Fiber channel, portal and the list goes on endlessly. I don‘t know if
the difference is nature of socialization, but in general, women don‘t live to be able to brag
about the latest widget on their laptop, on the mainframe, on the network, etc. We don‘t setup
multiple computers to play on at home any more than we have to have the latest and greatest
Gameboy, television or audio equipment. (Personal communication, 2006)
It is important to increase girls‘ involvement in ITas(1). increased presence will increase the qualified
labor pool; (2) IT jobs offer favorable working conditions, with salaries above the national average; (3)
value has been found in a diverse workforce; and (4) applying computing as a tools for solving big
problem sis considered critical to the US future and economy (Cohoon and Aspray, 2006, p. 13-14).
Bias: Cultural and Corporate
Information technology is believed to be a ―male‘s domain.‖ Studies indicate that individuals are less
favorably disposed toward women in information technology careers than men in those careers.
Carol Kovac, director of IBM Life Sciences, states:
[t]echnical environments are ones where you fight for your ideas, and if you automatically have
ideas dismissed because of some kind of cultural subtlety, you have to fight harder. And if you
fight harder, then you‘re a bitch. Stated simply, ―You‘re always trying to prove yourself,
because females are not always well-received in the tech field (Matwyshyn, 2003).
Collectively, the view from survey respondents is that (1) women always have to work harder to prove
their worth, (2) they have to work harder to prove their ability to handle the job, (3) acceptance and
encouragement for women comes after long hard hours withno room for error.
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6. Networking
A 2004 study by CATALYST reported that ―barriers facing African-American women in business
include negative, race-based stereotypes; more frequent questioning of their credibility and authority;
and a lack of institutional support. Experiencing a ―double outsider‖ status—unlike white women or
African-American men, who share gender or race in common with most colleagues or managers—
African-American women report exclusion from informal networks, and conflicted relationships with
white women, among the challenges they face‖ (Catalyst, 2004).
A survey participant stated:
―While it‘s perfectly acceptable for males to ―have a best friend at work‖ and routinely travel
with the same crowd, a woman who does the same could be asked if there‘s something going
on between herself and the ‗best friend‘ [if male], or regular male travel buddies.When the
balance shifts to the point where a female manager in an IT-based organization is no longer a
distinct minority member, I believe these barriers will finally come down.‖
Female managers state the existence of the ―old boy network‖ as one of the barriers to women‘s
advancement. It consists of old lines of communication and can serve to reinforce male dominance,
thereby institutionalizing inequality (Bell&Nkomo, 2001, p. 153).
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7. Professional Growth, Promotion, and Pay Issues
Empirical studies have focused primarily on outcomes, such as salary, promotion rates, turnover, or
career aspirations to account for the ―revolving door‖ for women in IT (Wright, 1997; Michie& Nelson,
2006).
A survey participant said:
I think a woman has to be much more careful in terms of how she presents herself – her
wardrobe, her interactions with colleagues, her speech, her conversation, her poise – in order
to be taken as seriously as male counterparts. She must strive extra hard to achieve a
―professional‖ and serious image.‖ While another wrote ―that being said, I always felt that I had
to work twice as hard and be twice as qualified as my male counterparts to remain in
competition. (Personal Communication, 2006)
According to Ramsay & McCorduck (2005), women earn lower performance ratings in assumed male
skills(instrumental and task-oriented assignments), leading to fewer promotions and lower pay. Their
skills at ―soft‖ tasks are undervalued because those skills are ―natural‖ for women and thus don‘t
count as an achievement. Paradoxically, adequate performance by men in women‘s presumed skills
(nurturing, emotional expressiveness, and communication) is considered exceptional, leading to
better ratings, faster promotions and higher pay for them. Managers who hold unexamined
stereotypical expectations will possibly grade their women employees as ―less able‖ despite objective
evidence to the contrary.
One survey participant admitted that ―although I‘ve been at one company for a number of years, I
have had to perform a number of inter-departmental transfers in order to receive promotions or
adequate pay raises.‖While another wrote,
I think I have not been promoted because I haven‘t pushed for it. The ―rules‖ for how you are
promoted remain unclear to me. This is where I believe sponsorship (who you know and
timing) comes in. I think that ―they‖ think we ―just know‖ what to do to be promoted. I don‘t.
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8. What‘s more, after observing what managers do in their jobs, some of us have made a
conscious choice to NOT be promoted. I believe that promotions within major corporations
may cost more in terms of peace of mind, self-respect, and loss of personal time than they pay
in money. If money is your prime driver, promotions are a primary goal. If you have other
values you hold dear, promotions may be extraneous or even undesirable. Note that it is part
of the male culture to keep score with money or the illusion of money. This is not as much part
of the female culture (Personal Communication, 2006).
Work-LifeBalance
A widespread assumption that hampers women‘s professional development is that by virtue of being
women, they cannot fully participate in work. While it‘s true that women often shoulder more family
responsibilities than men, the presumption more than the reality tends to limit women‘s advancement,
with their outside responsibilities a foregone conclusion. As one participant put it,
On occasion, when I have been involved in high profile projects, my family has suffered, but, I
must say that is not limited to women in the business world. How many men actually get to
spend quality time with their children on a regular basis? (Personal Communication, 2006)
A 1997 survey of ACM members found that the women were more likely to be single than the men,
and, if married, they were less likely to have children (Cohoon & Aspray, 2006, p. 402). When
comparing this data with that from my survey, I found that of the 22 participants, 9 were single,
married, or divorced without children, 3 were divorced with children, and 10 were married with at least
two children.While the results from survey participants, (41 percent were childless), did not directly
correlate with studies‘ findings, most stated having made a conscience decision of family over work.
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9. Survey Participant Demographics1
Number
Martial of
Status Children
Divorced 0
Divorced 0
Married 0
Married 0
Single 0
Single 0
Single 0
Single 0
Single
(Widow) 0
Divorced 1
Married 1
Married 1
Married 1
Married 1
Divorced 2
Divorced 2
Married 2
Married 2
Married 2
Married 2
Married 3
Married 4
When the participants that are working mothers were asked whether they felt they had to choose
between work and family, all said some sort of ―choice‖ had been made: a flexible work schedule,
making a conscious decision to forego career advancement, or moving to a different part of the
country that was deemed more family-friendly than the DC metropolitan area.
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10. Summary
First, there is no universal definition of masculine or feminine behavior; what is considered masculine
in some societies is considered feminine or gender-neutral in others. Second, while gender
differences exist they are manifested differently in different societies. Hence, addressing the gender
gap in IT employment based upon an assumed ―woman‘s perspective‖ is problematic (Trauth, et. al.,
2004).
The barriers that continue to present challenges to women in IT include social, cultural, and corporate
bias, inexperience with networking opportunities, professional growth and promotion, salary disparity,
and work-life balance constraints. Women should be accepted for their talents, skills, and abilities.
The US can ill afford to negate or ignore IT contributions just because they come from a person who
is female.
Progress continues to be made towards tearing down the ‗glass ceiling‘ for women in information
technology. Within one Fortune 500 company, the only corporate-sponsored affinity group is directed
at women – Networking Professional Women (NPW). Its mission is to facilitate networking and
mentorship amongst the female technical staff. The corporation also encourages female employee
engagement via employee recognition, promotion, and reassignment to higher visibility projects. As a
result, between the years of 2000 – 2006, the company has increased the percentage of female hires
by 17 percent (Personal Communication, 2006).
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11. Conclusions
Survey participants provided the following suggestions to improve promotion and retention for women
in information technology, leading to the destruction of the ‗glass ceiling‘:
Recommendationsfor breaking the ‘glass ceiling’2
Sponsorship Work-Life Balance Mentoring Promotion/Career
Advancement
Encourage greater Offer telecommuting Provide mentorship Provide guidance on
participation and options programs, which assist existing career
organization of in career development. opportunities within the
women‘s focus groups organization, and
or diversity networking provide examples for
groups improved preparation
Ensure the financial Create a flexible Sponsor forums and Encourage women to
support of female atmosphere which will panels where women speak up and not be
employees to attend accommodate all family can discuss and share afraid to challenge the
conferences that focus issues their experiences in the norm
on the career growth of IT industry
women
Actively seek out high- Family Leave Act Provide role models Put more women in
potential women enforcement positionsof high
because a company visibility to encourage
needs them in high younger women to
positions, as they have pursue a career of IT
experienced being
―different‖ and bring a
personal perspective to
building a vibrant
diverse work place
Break old serotypes
First I‘d seek women out, and then put a program in place specifically to mentor them and help
them manage their careers. Not just pulling strings in the background, but providing training in
the art of standing up for oneself, not only in meetings, but in discussions with managers and
executives. We‘re not going to learn how things are done over pool, golf or beer. Men have a
long standing tradition of handing this information down informally. While women are
beginning such traditions themselves the bottom line is we haven‘t been doing it as long so the
knowledge isn‘t as deep and we tend to be few and far between so the opportunities are fewer.
Companies need to provide access to the crib notes (Personal Communication).
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12. SupportResources
Even if women are underrepresented in the classroom and workplace, support networks can be
utilized to offset feelings of isolation (Todd, et. al., 2005).
IT Support Resources 3
Organization Purpose Website
ACM Careers http://campus.acm.org/crc/index-hme1-crc.cfm
ACM Women in http://campus.acm.org/crc/cri/categorylist-cri24-
Technology crc.cfm?cat_id=7&CFID+29282093&CFTOKEN=67511951
ACM-W Improve the http://women.acm.org/
working and
learning
environments
Anita Borg Institute Increase the http://www.anitaborg.org/
for Women and impact of women
Technology on all areas of
technology
Center for Women dedicated to http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/
in Technology providing global
leadership in
achieving women's
full participation in
all aspects of
information
technology
MentorNet Links female http://www.mentornet.net/
students to
industry and
academia mentors
in an email
environment
Webgrrls Career advice, http://www.webgrrls.com
female only job
bank
Women in help women http://www.witi.com/
Technology advance by
International providing access
to - and support
from - other
professional
women working in
all sectors of
technology
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13. Appendix A: About the Survey Participants
Twenty-five (25) women were distributed copies of the survey questions, with twenty-two (22)
completed surveys received. A set of questions was developed (attached Appendix B), which
focused on the views interviewees‘ had around the existence of a glass ceiling and how it affected
their careers. Interviewees often volunteered information about theirpersonal lives and professional
experiences. The full setof questions was originally distributed on November 3, 2006.
It was my hope was to collect as much information from each interviewee as possible, participants
chose to provide in-depth answers to some questions, while providing yes/no answers to others.
Each participant wished to remain anonymous. All interviewees agreed to follow up interviews if
desired.
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14. Appendix B: Survey Questions
SURVEY QUESTIONS
Name
Age
Martial Status
Number of Children
Job Title
Years of Experience
Years of IT Experience
Years with Current Employer
Do you believe there is a glass ceiling?
Have you always had a love of math and science?
How/why did you choose a career in IT?
Were you encouraged or discouraged during your pursuit of a career
in IT?
Do you think you‘ve been passed over for promotion because of your
age/sex/race? Why/why not?
Do you think women in the IT workplace face different or more barriers
than men? If so, what types of barriers and why?
Do you feel you‘ve had to make a choice between work and family?
Have you felt you had to change employers to progress
professionally? Why/Why not?
If you were in charge, what kind of changes would you make in your
organization to better retain and promote women?
Do you feel that women entering the workforce have greater
professional opportunities than when you first began your IT career?
While studies show female participation in IT has dropped steadily,
what do you think can be done to improve female participation within
the IT industry?
Do you participate in a mentoring relationship (whether through your
employer or self initiated)? If so, or you the mentor, mentee, or both?
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15. References
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barriers women face in the IT work force: Standpoint theory, self-disclosure, and cognitive
maps(ITRI-WP056-0505). Submitted to Sex Roles. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from
http://itrc.uark.edu/research/display.asp?article=ITRI-WP056-0505.
Bell, E.L.J. E.& Nkomo, S. M. (2001). Our separate ways: Black and white women and the
struggle for professional identity. Boston: HarvardBusinessSchool Press.
CATALYST (2004). CATALYST report outlines unique challenges faced by african-american
women in business; ―Concrete ceiling‖ difficult to shatter; diversity programs need strengthening.
Catalyst Publications, New York, NY.
Clark, H. (2006). Are women happy under the glass ceiling? Retrieved November 26, 2006,
fromhttp://www.forbes.com.
Cohoon, J. M.,& Aspray, W. (2006). Women and information technology research on
underrepresentation. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Feyerherm,A.,& Vick, Y.H. (2005). Generation X women in high technologyOvercoming gender
and generationalchallenges to succeed in the corporateenvironment. Career Development
International, 10 (3), pp. 216-227.
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16. Matwyshyn, A. M. (2003). Silicon ceilings: Information technology equity, the digital divide and the
gender gap among information technology professionals. Northwestern Journal of Technology
and Intellectual Property. Retrieved October 5, 2006 from
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njtip/v2/n1/2.
Melymuka, K. (2002). The glass ceiling: Barrier or challenge? Computerworld, 36(10), 36.
Retrieved November 5, 2006 from ABI/INFORM Global database.
Michie, S.,& Nelson, D. (2006). Barriers women face in information technology careers: Self-
efficacy, passion and gender biases. Women in Management Review,21(1), pp. 10-27.
Ramsey, N.,& McCorduck, P. (2005). Where are the women in information technology?Boulder,
CO: University of Colorado, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.
Riemenschneider, C. K., Armstrong, D. J., Allen, M. W., & Reid, M. (2003). Challenges and
barriers facing women in the IT workforce (ITRI-WP041-1103). Submitted to The DATA BASE for
Advances in Information Systems Special Section of IT Personnel Research. Retrieved October
31, 2006, fromhttp://itrc.uark.edu/research/display.asp?article=ITRI-WP041-1103.
Tapia, A. H., &Kvasny, L. (2004). Recruitment is never enough: Retention of women and
minorities in the IT workplace. Proceedings of the 2004 SIGMIS conference on Computer
personnel research: Careers, culture, and ethics in a networked environment.Tucson, AZ.
Retrieved October 5, 2006, from ACM Digital Library database.
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17. Todd, K., Mardis, L., & Wyatt, P. (2005). We've come a long way, baby! But where women and
technology are concerned, have we really? Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM SIGUCCS
Conference on User Services.Monterey, CA. Retrieved October 5, 2006, from ACM Digital Library
database.
Trauth, E. M., Quesenberry, J. L., & Morgan, A. J. (2004). Understanding the under representation
of women in IT: Toward a theory of individual differences. Proceedings of the 2004 SIGMIS
conference on Computer personnel research: Careers, culture, and ethics in a networked
environment.Tucson, AZ. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from ACM Digital Library database.
Woszczynski, A., Myers, M., Beise, C., & Moody, J. (2004). Diversity within the ranks: How
ethnicity affects choices in IT. Retrieved December 1, 2006 from
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~mmyers/amcis04-diversity-final.doc
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