The impact of gender on career success of information systems professionals

Abstract

Recent projections by social scientists indicate that by the year 2000 almost half the work force will be comprised of women. Information systems (IS) literature reports that women are underrepresented: only about one‐third of IS employees are female. This may suggest that IS women professionals may be engaging in practices that restrict their entry, promotion and retention. Attempts to examine the career success outcomes of men and women in IS using the human‐capital paradigm. Presents results, based on the survey responses of about 348 employees in the IS field, which suggest that significant gender differences exist. For instance, women were found, on average, to be somewhat younger and less experienced then were men in lower‐level positions and to receive lower salaries than do men even when age, work experience and job level were controlled. Moreover, women have fewer opportunities to interact with people outside their departmental boundaries. Discusses the relevance of these results and presents viable options for fostering the careers and improving the retention of women in the IS field.