The advancement and persistence of women in the information technology profession: An extension of Ahuja's gendered theory of IT career stages

In 2002, Manju Ahuja articulated the challenges women face in the information technology (IT) profession with the goal of developing a theoretical model of factors influencing career choice, career advancement, and career persistence for women in the IT profession. While Ahuja's work has been regularly cited in the IT workforce literature (citation count was around 120 using ISI Web of Science and around 425 using Google Scholar as of September 30, 2017), women continue to leave the IT profession at a disturbing rate. Using Ahuja's theoretical model as the foundation, this study asked women working in IT what workplace challenges they face. The findings from this study validate many of Ahuja's propositions and suggest an extended theoretical model that could be used to further explore the challenges women face at various career stages in the IT field. In addition, the extended theoretical model might be used to galvanize the discussion around developing a more inclusive IT work environment.