Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses

The percentages of girls in Australian schools who elect to enrol in post compulsory information communication and computing technologies units has barely changed over the past twenty years hovering consistently around (and often below) 25% (James, et al., 2004). Analysis of this statistic (and its persistence) has often focused on such factors as the impact this under representation has upon the total numbers of students studying information technology or related courses at university (hereafter referred to as IT); the looming personnel shortages in information technology professions (Wentling & Thomas, 2004); the implications that opting out of IT as an area of study has on girls’ future career paths, including the potential to reduce their chances of employABSTRACT