Abstract

The underrepresentation of women in IT is a research area that has received much attention in recent years. Extant research has examined many factors that contribute to and/or improve the widening gender gap. Review articles to date have focused on certain aspects of the field, e.g., the pipeline (Gürer and Camp, 2001), secondary and post-secondary education (Sanders, 2005; Singh, Allen, Scheckler, and Darlington, 2007), and women in IT careers (Ahuja, 2002). There is a need for a comprehensive framework that synthesizes and extends existing research using a new research lens. We propose an integrative organizing model that draws on the career theory literature, Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2004), the relational model of career decisions (Mainiero and Sullivan, 2005), and Super's life-span, life-space approach to career development (Super, 1990). Examples of how the framework can be applied are discussed.

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