Gender bias in internet employment: A study of career advancement opportunities for women in the field of ICT

Published date31 August 2004
Date31 August 2004
Pages133-142
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/14779960480000248
AuthorAndra Gumbus,Frances Grodzinsky
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management
Gender Bias in Internet Employment:
A Study of Career Advancement Opportunities
for Women in the Field of ICT
INTRODUCTION
Women as individuals experience subtle
discrimination regarding career develop-
ment opportunities as evidenced by
research on the Glass Ceiling. This paper
looks at the ramifications of technology,
specifically the Internet, and how it affects
women’s career opportunities. Some ques-
tions explored are:
Are women less likely to use technology
in their career development initiatives?
•How has the Glass Ceiling impacted
women in the technology field?
Do women utilize networking as a
career enhancement strategy?
Are women adversely affected by the use
of the Internet in securing employment?
Does the use of Internet recruiting and
paperless HR departments adversely
impact women as candidates?
•Is the hierarchical male power structure
maintained by the increased use of tech-
nology by corporate recruiters and other
hiring managers?
Part one of the paper will discuss women
and technology in general including issues
of gender bias. It will examine the litera-
ture on women seeking careers in technol-
ogy and look at women’s use of technology
in their career development initiatives.
Part Two will explore aspects of the cor-
porate culture that impact the advance-
ment of women in ICT including the glass
ceiling, and how the Internet has impact-
ed the advancement of women. Part Three
will examine the question of recruitment
on line and ask if women are disadvan-
taged by paperless Human Resource
Departments. The authors will demon-
strate that for women to overcome gender
bias, the glass ceiling and resultant under
representation in upper level ICT man-
agement positions, there needs to be a
change in the educational and corporate
culture.
Info, Comm & Ethics in Society (2004) 3: 133–142
©2004 Troubador Publishing Ltd.
KKEEYYWWOORRDDSS
Gender bias
Glass Ceiling
Women in ICT
Internet
Employment
Andra Gumbus and Frances Grodzinsky
Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, USA
Email: {gumbusa;grodzinskyf}@sacredheart.edu
CCOOVVEERRAAGGEE
Wo men as individuals experience subtle discrimination regarding career development opportunities as
evidenced by research on the Glass Ceiling. This paper looks at the ramifications of technology, specifi-
cally the Internet, and how it affects women’s career opportunities.
ABSTRACT

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