Leveraging digital transformation to address women's challenges in the technology industry
Author: Aleksandra Skakun
Supervisors: Lorraine Skelton Philip Cass
17 July 2024
Skakun, A. (2024). Leveraging digital transformation to address women's challenges in the technology industry. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Management). Auckland International Campus, Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6510
Abstract
The rapid progress in information and communication technologies has positively impacted the economies of many countries, including New Zealand and Australia. However, women remain underrepresented in the ICT workforce, making up only 23% in New Zealand and 29% in Australia. Following the explosive growth of remote work technologies during the COVID-19 lockdowns and the wide acceptance of hybrid working policies after the pandemic, this thesis explores the transformative potential of digital technologies in addressing the persistent challenges faced by women in this historically male-dominated industry. Grounded in the field-specific ability beliefs theory, this study employs a qualitative research design. 15 in-depth interviews were conducted with women professionals across various technology sectors of New Zealand and Australia. Participants, with an average of ten years of experience, offer nuanced insights into their stories, providing a comprehensive understanding of how digital transformations may help mitigate their challenges.
The findings reveal that new digital tools, a modern software development approach, continuous learning practices and the normalisation of flexible work arrangements have helped to mitigate common women’s challenges, such as balancing career with family obligations, professional isolation and limited access to career advancement opportunities. They have also shifted the perception of the whole industry to be more appealing to women. Furthermore, the study presents recommendations suggested by participants on how to support and empower women across the industry and foster a more equitable landscape, being segmented into the three distinct career stages of initial recruitment, career advancements and retaining employees.
Keywords
technology industry, digital transformation, women's challenges, Field-specific Ability Belief (FAB) Theory, gender equity and inclusivity, remote work
Licence
This thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images.
