Gendered Processes and Women's Stunted Career Growth: An Exploratory Study of Female Software Engineers

In: Qualitative report: an online journal dedicated to qualitative research and critical inquiry

Abstract

In the present qualitative study, we explored to what extent gender has been an integral part of workplace experience and career growth among female software engineers in Indian Information and Technology sector. Following a purposive sampling strategy, data were drawn from twenty-one female software engineers. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted. A hybrid of theoretical and inductive thematic analysis was done to answer the research questions. For analyzing the data through theoretical thematic analysis, Acker's (1990) "Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations" was used as the theoretical lens. The result revealed that four features of gendered processes in the organization, that is, the gendered division of labour, gendered symbols and images, gendered interactions, and gendered effects on individual identity are experienced by female technology professionals. The impacts of these gendered processes in the career-growth and job-experience has been discussed. Moreover, gender-based stereotype, discrimination, the gendered division of labour inside the family, and self-silencing inside organization are found to be the gender-related aspects which function as inhibitors of women's growth in career.