Why don't more women major in information systems?

Purpose – Increasing enrollments in colleges of business have not been matched by women majoring in the field of information systems (IS). This paper aims to explore reasons why women choose not to major in information technology disciplines and to suggest potential solutions.Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a behavioral model based on the theory of reasoned action and a survey of the students enrolled in six sections of a college‐wide MIS course to help them answer the fundamental question “Why don't more women major in information systems?” They also used partial least squares analysis to estimate the parameters of the model and the results of several open‐ended survey questions to validate their statistical findings, leading to a richer triangulation of study results.Findings – The study found that a “genuine interest in IS” and the “influence of family” most account for a woman's decision to major in information systems. Equally important are those items that did not appear to attract fe...

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