Women in Technology: Why are Undergraduate Women Underrepresented in the field of Information Technology

Abstract

Technology in modern society is booming. Products encompassing everything from recreational applications to vocational enterprise/executive software are becoming more integrative and omnipresent in their use. In order to meet increasing demand, the technology workforce has also increased its pace, both in development and employment. As the need for more professionals has grown, so has the gender gap between men and women working in Information Technology. This thesis will seek to explore the reasons why, despite the relevance and increasing number of jobs in the technology workforce, there are relatively few women employed in information systems and computer science related fields.