Barriers IT Employees Face - A Gender Perspective

This study reports the findings of 6 focus groups conducted with male and female managers working in information technology (IT) at three different companies. The views the managers shared regarding the barriers that men who work in IT face that their female counterparts do not are presented. The themes which emerged in the analysis are viewed through the lens of gender schema theory. In this study, the concept of family responsibilities was raised only by the females and it was only evoked as a cause concept. In contrast, the concept of gender discrimination was evoked as only an effect concept, but it was discussed by both the men and the women. The issue of opposite gender interaction was raised by both males and females with the females often resorting to gender isolation as an approach to avoid inappropriate or uncomfortable interactions.