Is the Information Systems Profession Gendered? Characterization of IS Professionals and IS Career

Abstract

In spite of a more “feminine” nature of the information systems (IS) discipline due to its greater perceived social component, stereotypes and educational prejudices that are prevalent in the computer science discipline are assumed to exist in the information systems field. The objective of this study is to test the validity of this assumption by uncovering the perceptions of college students toward IS professionals and the IS profession. Our study reveals that stereotypes found to be associated with computer science also seem to permeate the IS field. However, after students are exposed to IS careers, they appear to grasp the unique nature of IS. In other words, while describing an IS professional and the IS profession, men and women were cognizant that the IS profession is a blend of technical, systems, social, and managerial components. This study also sheds some light on the question - Is the IS profession perceived to be gendered? Based on the study's results, we conclude that the students’ perceptions of IS careers are to some extent gendered with a greater emphasis on masculine than feminine or gender neutral traits and abilities. © 2006, Authors. All rights reserved.