Paradigms, pitfalls and the pipeline: gender issues in the information technology workforce

The under-representation of women in technical fields has been a persistent problem in the USA, but the critical national need for a large number of information technology (IT) workers is now fueling considerable interest in how to deal with it. Typically few women have pursued careers in computer science and engineering (CS&E). The extent of their under-representation at all levels of education has been described as a pipeline problem, whereby the number of women shrinks drastically at each increasing level of the academic ladder in CS&E. Researchers have hypothesized that the pipeline problem is caused by a number of factors. These factors can be characterized in two ways: factors present in society at large that relate to the socialization process for young women, and characteristics of the disciplines of scientific and technical fields that create implicit barriers for under-represented populations. The paper examines the various factors that tend to inhibit women from choosing educational majors and careers in CS&E. Findings from IT recent workforce reports are discussed, and an NSF initiative being undertaken to address the problem is presented