Abstract

Whereas women earn more than half of all university degrees and make up over half of the workforce, their enrollment in computer science and information systems academic programs and their representation in technology-related career fields remain at disturbing low levels. In recent years the percentage of female graduates from these programs in the U.S., Europe, and Australia has not risen above 20%. The demand for IT workers continues to grow, yet women fill only 19% of software development positions in the U.S. A number of studies have examined gender differences related to experience, beliefs, and attitudes regarding the IT field, and a common theme is the need to improve women’s perception of the field. This paper describes a first step in investigating whether the agile approach to information system development contributes to an environment that could potentially be more welcoming to women, based on a comparison of work practices and agile principles

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