Perception of women in the IT industry – belief analysis

The technology industry is one of the fastest-growing fields recently. Broadly understood computer science is characterized by high dynamics of development. More and more people decide to work in the IT industry, more and more IT companies are established, and people get involved in their operation and development. Initially, engineering and technical professions were associated with the IT industry. Currently, people with education in fields other than technical ones will also find jobs here.

The IT industry is dominated by men, but it is becoming more and more open to employing women. Development in this matter has been noticeable over recent years. Women decide to study a specific field or change industries after years of working in another industry.

It is a very beneficial and encouraging environment for everyone, both men and women. Innovation and constant changes require openness to new technologies, fields and provide a fresh perspective. As the proportions of employed women and men change, new problems emerge and opinions about people working in the IT industry change. The cultural and social situation is also changing.

In 1942, a woman named Hedy Lamarr developed an idea for a secret communications system. A few years later, in 1946, the Electronic, Numerical Integrator and Computer “ENIAC” was created, this was achieved thanks to the involvement of, among others, a group of seven women: Betty Jean Jennings Bartik, Kathleen McNulty, Mauchly Antonelli, Ruth Lichterman Teitelbaum, Frances Bilas Spence, Marlyn Wescoff Meltzer and Frances Snyder Holberton, who were officially inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame only after more than 30 years in 1997.

A remarkable achievement was Radia Perlman’s creation of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) in 1980, which allowed for directing the flow of information on a computer network, thanks to which it was hailed as the “Mother of the Internet”.

Currently, one of the most recognizable technology companies is Apple, so it is also worth mentioning Susan Kare, whose icon designs came under the wing of this company in the 1980s, and during their cooperation she created the Chicago magazine, which was used in four generations of Apple’s iPod .[2]

Since there would be no development of the IT industry without women, and despite this it is still an industry dominated by men, it was decided to check what are the beliefs about women working in the IT industry.

The study conducted for the bachelor’s thesis sought answers to four questions using a five-point Likert scale:

1. What are the strongest beliefs about women working in the IT industry?
2. Do gender and/or employment in IT differentiate these beliefs?
3. How is the future of women in the IT industry perceived?
4. Do gender and employment in IT differentiate the perception of this future?

N=101 people took part in the study, of which 43.6% were women (N=44) and 56.4% men (N=57). The average age of the respondents was M = 32.5 years (SD = 10.24) and was in the range <22.63>. Of the respondents, 45.5% of people (N=46) declared that they worked in the IT industry, and 54.5% of people (N=55) declared that they did not work in the IT industry.

Moreover, it turned out that both gender and employment differentiate (statistically significantly) beliefs about women employed in the IT industry. Women, to a greater extent than men, believe that:

• women’s earnings in the IT industry are lower than men’s earnings – t(99)=3.24; p<0.005; Cohen’s d=0.65
• women employed in the IT industry have fewer opportunities for promotion than men – t(99)=2.71; p<0.01; Cohen’s d=0.54
• women are as suitable as men as IT project leaders – t(91.33)=2.85; p<0.01; Cohen’s d=0.53
• women working in the IT industry face discrimination at work – t(99)=2.37; p<0.05; Cohen’s d=0.47
• women working in the IT industry are more likely to be mistreated at work than men – t(99)=2.18; p<0.05; Cohen’s d=0.43
• stereotypical perception of women has a negative impact on their success in the IT industry – t(99)=2.17; p<0.05; Cohen’s d=0.42

In turn, men, to a greater extent than women, believe that:

• women master IT issues worse than men – t(99)=-3.33; p<0.005; Cohen’s d=0.69
• women are not predisposed to work in IT – t(97.69)=-2.49; p<0.05;
• Cohen’s d=0.47
• women are not as good IT specialists as men – t(99)=-2.63; p<0.05;
• Cohen’s d=0.45

Moreover, people not employed in the IT industry believe that:

• women employed in the IT industry have fewer opportunities for promotion than men – t(99)=-6.19; p<0.001; Cohen’s d=1.23
• women’s earnings in the IT industry are lower than men’s earnings – t(99)=-4.27; p<0.001; Cohen’s d=0.85
• women employed in the IT industry experience the glass ceiling phenomenon – t(85.23)=-3.65; p<0.001; Cohen’s d=0.74
• women working in the IT industry face discrimination at work – t(88.3)=-2.83; p<0.01; Cohen’s d=0.57
• women are not predisposed to work in IT – t(98.25)=-2.39; p<0.05; Cohen’s d=0.46

It can be concluded that people working in the IT industry differ in terms of beliefs from people who do not work in the IT industry. The indicated stronger beliefs of people unrelated to the working environment of the IT industry may result from stereotypical beliefs which, due to changes, currently differ from the reality of the IT industry.

What about the future of women in the IT industry? During the research, it was found that the respondents were of the greatest opinion that the number of women in the IT industry will increase in the future (M = 3.98; SD = 0.76), followed by the opinion that the number of women employed in managerial positions in the industry IT will grow (M=3.87; SD=0.75) and that more and more women will start companies in the IT industry (M=3.65; SD=0.78). It turns out that the respondents are least afraid of a larger number of women in IT in the near future (M=1.78; SD=0.95).