[AISWorld] CFP AMCIS 2012 Mini-Track: Gender Diversity in the IT Workforce

[Haiyan Huang]

CALL FOR PAPERS 

18th Americas Conference on Information Systems 

Seattle, Washington 

August 9-12, 2012 



Track: Social Issues and Social Inclusion Track 

Mini-Track: Gender Diversity in the IT Workforce 



MINI-TRACK DESCRIPTION: 

The underrepresentation of women in the information technology (IT) workforce is a well-known phenomenon. Research in this area has focused on understanding the ways in which women are marginalized in the information technology educational pipelines and workforce. These studies reveal various factors at individual, organizational and societal levels that are influential in the recruitment and retention of women in the information technology fields. Drawing on the research, many intervention programs have been developed and implemented to address the problems. However, the results of some recent studies show that the participation of women in the information technology fields is still declining. Therefore, there is a need to continue investigating the existing and new challenges associated with the underrepresentation of women in information technology from multiple perspectives. From the theoretical perspective, we need to explore and apply existing theories, and develop alternative theories and frameworks to facilitate our understanding of this phenomenon. From the empirical perspective, we need to extend the investigations in order to gain additional insights about the variations in relationships between gender and information technology. From the practical perspective, we need to critically assess current diversity strategies, policies, and intervention programs, and focus on developing innovative and sustainable initiatives to increase the participation of women in the information technology fields. Given the premise that diversity of human capital is a critical asset for developing a sustainable information economy, this minitrack aims at furthering our understanding of gender diversity in the IT workforce from theoretical, empirical and practical perspectives. 



TOPICS of INTEREST: 

– Theories and research frameworks for investigating gender and diversity issues in information technology 

– Empirical research on gender and diversity in the global information economy 

– Cultural differences in roles, expectations, and stereotypes regarding women’s involvement with information technology 

– Methodological challenges of examining cultural influences on gender and IT 

– Factors that influence the enrolment and retention of female students in IS/IT majors 

– Initiatives and programs that aim at recruiting and retaining women in IS/IT educational pipelines 

– The role of ICTs to facilitate mentoring of women and other underrepresented groups in information technology 

– Challenges associated with the retention of women in the information technology workforce 

– Work-life balance issues for women in the information technology workforce 

– Strategies and initiatives to counter the opting-out of women in the information technology fields 

– Initiatives and programs to encourage women to seek training and reenter the information technology workforce 

– Initiatives to improve women’s participation in information technology that fit with a specific socio-cultural context 



IMPORTANT DATES: 

January 2, 2012 - Manuscript Central will start accepting paper submissions 

March 1, 2012 (11:59 PM Pacific time zone) - Deadline for paper submissions 

April 6, 2012 - Authors will be notified of acceptances on or about this date 

April 25, 2012 (11:59 PM Pacific time zone) - For accepted papers, camera-ready copy due 



SUBMISSION SITE: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/amcis2012 



MINI-TRACK CO-CHAIRS: Mari Buche, Ph.D. 

School of Business and Economics 

Michigan Technological University 

Email: mwbuche at mtu.edu 

Phone: 906-487-3440 




Haiyan Huang, Ph.D. 

School of Business and Economics 

Michigan Technological University 

Email: haiyanh at mtu.edu 

Phone: 906-487-3081
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