The career development of women in executive-level positions in information technology

Despite the impressive increase of women in the workforce, they continue to be underrepresented in managerial positions in the information technology (IT) field. This gender gap is most evident at the senior management and executive levels. Although many women have advanced to the ranks of middle management, as a group, less than 3% of IT executives are women. The IT field is male dominated and particularly at the executive level position. In addition, it is affected by the shrinking number of women pursuing academic study in engineering and computer science, both at the undergraduate and advanced-degree levels. The recent sharp decline in the number of women pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering and computer-related fields and the attrition of women in advance-degree programs affect the number of women at levels higher in the pipeline in IT. The purpose of this study was to examine the career development and aspirations of women in executive level positions in IT occupations. This study utilized a qualitative research design. In-depth, telephone interviews were conducted with a sample of 25 women in executive level positions in IT in 25 Fortune 500 companies. The findings of this study show that educational credentials were one of the most important factors to the career development/progression of women executives of this study. All of the study participants earned a bachelor degree and over half have earned a master degree. All of the women executives had mentors during their professional careers, and they identified mentors as the people who most influenced their career development/progression. Additionally, career plans were seen as being a contributing factor in the career development of women executives in this study. Career plans were self initiated and developed in consultation with senior management. Finally, the women executives of this study indicated that continuous, life-long learning and continuously striving for success was a major factor in their career development.