«Må vi egentlig ha flere kvinner i IKT?»

Abstract

SammendragIKTer et av de mest kjønnsdelte fagområdene i Norge og illustrerer «the Nordic Gender Paradox», som viser til et misforhold mellom en høy grad av kvinnelig yrkesdeltakelse i de nordiske landene, parallelt med en sterk kjønning av fagog yrkesområder. En høyere andel kvinner i IKT-yrker er et mål som saerlig blir aktualisert av økende digitalisering. Denne artikkelen bygger på et kvalitativt empirisk materiale og analyserer dialogmøter med til sammen 12 organisasjoner som ble invitert til å diskutere likestilling i IKT-arbeid. Analysen utforsker hvordan diskursen om likestilling i IKT blir forstått i organisasjonene og hvordan dette påvirker holdninger til praktisk likestillingsarbeid. Ti alternative tilnaerminger til likestilling i IKT blir identifisert fra dialogmøtene. Disse kan forstås som diskursiv praksis som artikulerer «motstand» i form av alternative meninger som utfordrer diskursen om likestilling i IKT, idet de reforhandler og justerer, omdefinerer og, i noen tilfeller, avviser denne. Rekruttering av kvinner til IKT-arbeid er i stor grad overlatt til den enkelte bedrift. Analysen viser at det fremdeles finnes kjønnede forestillinger om hvem som passer til IKTarbeid, og at disse i liten grad bidrar til å motivere organisasjonene til praktisk likestillingsarbeid. AbstractICT is one of the most gender-divided fields in Norway and illustrates the "Nordic Gender Paradox", referring to a mismatch between a high level of participation by women in working life in parallel with a strong gendering of disciplines and professions. A higher proportion of women in ICT professions is a goal that is particularly relevant due to increasing digitalization. This article builds on qualitative empirical material and analyzes meetings with 12 organizations that were invited to discuss gender equality in ICT work. The analysis explores how the discourse of gender equality in ICT is perceived in the organizations and how this affects attitudes to practical gender equality work. Ten alternative approaches to gender equality in ICT are identified. These can be analyzed as discursive practices that articulate "resistance" as alternative meanings that challenge the discourse of gender equality in ICT, as they renegotiate, redefine and, in some cases, reject the discourse. Recruitment of women to ICT work is a task left to the individual organizations. The authors claim that there are still gendered perceptions of who is appropriate for ICT work, and these perceptions do not motivate the organizations to engage in gender equality work.

Towards understanding the gender digital divide: a systematic literature review

“…The findings reported above allow us only to speculate on explanations (such as cultural differences, educational level and other sociocultural factors). More research is needed to explore this in depth, as well as to explain why the gender digital divide remains high, even in high-income and egalitarian societies, for instance, to explain why women occupy only around 23% of the positions within the ICT sector in countries like Norway [ranked second in the gender parity chart (WEF, 2020)] (Corneliussen and Seddighi, 2019). We need to better understand the reasons and mechanisms that maintain the second-level gender digital divide, despite there being equal access to the technology and infrastructure.…”

“…Women are also less likely than men to own ICT devices and have access to technology-related skills and jobs (UNICEF, 2021). For example, women occupy only around 17% of the positions within the ICT sector in the European Union (Corneliussen and Seddighi, 2019). Even in countries where direct access to information technology is no longer much of an issue, inequalities in actual use can hinder women's social and economic development opportunities (Hafkin and Huyer, 2007).…”