Abstract
This dissertation looks at women's experiences of working in the ICT sector at a tertiary
institution in Gauteng, South Africa. Historically, this sector has been known to be maledominated,
and even though women are joining ICT, studies show that they face various
obstacles and such challenges deserve to be studied. Existing studies on the experiences
of women working in the ICT sector have largely focused on women managers’ career
advancement and the underrepresentation of women in the sector. These studies have
mostly been carried out in sectors that are not institutions of higher learning. Therefore, this
study contributes to the body of knowledge on women in the ICT sector by looking at the
experiences of women working in ICT at institutions of higher learning. Theoretically, the
study adopted Archer’s morphogenetic theory to understand how structure, culture and
agency impact the experiences of women working in the ICT sector. Methodologically, the
study was qualitative in nature, and a total of ten interviews were conducted with women
occupying different positions in the university’s ICT department. The study findings show
that women entered the ICT sector in planned and unplanned ways. The findings also
suggest that individual, societal and organisational barriers condition the experiences of
women in the ICT sector. The study, therefore argues that just like women in any other ICT
setting, women in educational institutions' ICT departments suffer from individual, societal
and organisational barriers that affect their entrance, retention, and career growth in the
sector.
Keywords: ICT, tertiary institution, South Africa, male dominance, structure, culture, agency
and gender stereotype.