A Meta-Problem Behind the Diverse Perspectives on the Underrepresentation of Girls in Information and Computing Technology Subjects

Abstract

The percentages of girls in developing countries studying information technology subjects in the post-compulsory years of education has remained persistently low: often under 25%. This is despite the fact that this particular phenomenon has been the subject of international enquiry for over two decades. The persistence of this pattern raises questions about the extent to which the factors influencing girls’ decision making are fully understood and associated questions about the ways in which both the problem and solution are most usefully conceptualized. This paper explores the limitations of dominant ways of explaining girl’s underrepresentation in information technology courses and careers and argues the need for a more holistic approach to designing and enacting interventions. It draws particular attention to the need for ongoing research in this area which seeks to map the persistence of narrow and limiting understandings of gender that continue to thrive in contemporary IT and school contexts. Furthermore it highlights the associated need for teachers to be equipped with skills that allow them to contest and challenge these understandings while also designing IT related subjects that are engaging and relevant to girls and to boys.