Intersectionality Matters in Understanding the Effects of Gender Role Congruity, Individual Identity, and IT Self-Efficacy on IT Career Choices

The gender imbalance in the information technology (IT) field is frequently explained using group-level analyses suggesting that gender role expectations, that drive individuals to choose occupations that are congruent with the prescribed gender roles to reduce conflict caused by deviating from these expectations, account for under-representation. However, a problem with this explanation is that it assumes that all women and all men receive similar messages, interpret role senders' messages in the same manner, and adopt similar patterns of behavior. In this paper, we overcome this problem by taking into account between-group and within-group differences to investigate the effect of intersecting group membership that shapes one's identity on IT career choices. A survey methodology was used to collect and analyze data. By examining the perceptions of 5,585 undergraduate students across 11 large U.S. universities, we illustrate the importance of intersectionality in understanding the complexities of IT career choices and highlight the need for more inclusive and holistic approaches to address gender disparities in this field.