A quarter century of gender and information systems research: the role of theory in investigating the gender imbalance

Abstract

This study analyses the role of theory in gender and information systems (IS) research by providing a descriptive review of 25 years of IS journal publications on the topic of gender and IS. Trauth performed a critical literature analysis on research papers that appeared in information systems journals between 1992 and 2013. This paper extends the analysis by Trauth adding a literature analysis for research papers from 2012 to 2020. Decades of research on the under-representation of women in information systems (IS) has revealed a checkered landscape of studies ranging from completely atheoretical to theoretically well-informed work. Contained in this considerable body of knowledge is a collection of explicitly theorized gender and IS studies. These are the only types of study that allow researchers to build upon each other’s work, and allow the field to progress from purely descriptive studies to studies that are more analytical in nature, with the goal of suggesting interventions aimed at broadening participation in the IT workforce. This study examines only explicitly theorized research and finds that IS research has indeed progressed from gender essentialist studies toward gender intersectional studies. The intersectional approach encourages explanatory studies that investigate relevant issues in today’s diverse global IT workforce and allows the identification of suitable interventions.

Keywords:

• Diversity
• gender
• gender and information systems theory
• gender theory
• intersectionality
• Individual Differences Theory of Gender and Information Technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nita Mennega

Nita Mennega is a lecturer at the Department Informatics of the University of Pretoria. She obtained a BSc and BSc Honours in Computer Science, an MSc (Information Systems) and PhD (Information Technology) and worked as a software developer for more than 20 years. She has been in academia for the last seven years. Her research interests include causes of the Information Technology skills shortage, diversity in the IT workforce, graduate attributes and the development of soft skills in engineering graduates.

Carina de Villiers

Carina de Villiers is full professor and Head of the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She obtained a BSc (Computer Science and Mathematics), Higher Education Diploma, Diploma in Tertiary Education, MEd (Didactics) cum laude, Honours degree in Computer Science and PhD (Informatics) degree. She has co-authored 9 books, 35 articles in peer-reviewed international journals and delivered more than 100 international and national conference papers on different topics in Information Systems Education. She is a member of several international bodies and serves on a number of editorial and advisory boards for journals. She holds a National Research Foundation rating as an established Information Systems researcher since 2000.