The Career Development Of Women Executives In Information Technology

This paper will report the results of a study on the career development and aspirations of women in executive level positions in information technology. The major method of this research study was the individual case study. Case studies relied on in-depth telephone interviews with a sample of 25 women in executive level positions in IT in 25 Fortune 500 companies. The study provided an insight into the perception of women executives working in information technology (IT), and their role in this fast-growing technological area. The study examined the educational and career paths that the women took to reach their executive level positions. This study provided a better understanding of why women entered the field of information technology and what their experiences have been. The study examined the barriers that hindered and the factors that assisted the women in achieving executive level positions. In addition, it looked into the career goals and aspirations of the women executives. Furthermore, this study obtained an indepth understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the women in their educational programs and as they moved up the career ladder to executive level positions.