Departmental websites and female student recruitment

Abstract

Female recruitment and retention in technology related fields is still low, despite numerous attempts to reverse this trend. As a recruitment device, a school's webpage may be the only visual representation a student will see before deciding whether or not to apply. Thus, understanding the possible implications of this medium is important within the larger conversation on gender equity and opportunities. This research addresses several questions: At first glance, do websites give gender cues, whether intentional or not? Is there a relationship between certain web content and the number of women recruited into technology related schools and departments? Do applied fields (Informatics, Information Science, Instructional Technology, Information Systems) differ in their online recruitment practices from more traditional Computer Science and Engineering departments? It is important to note that this research is not an attempt to find the best web practices to recruit female students or an attempt to punish or blame specific institutions regarding their recruitment practices. (Quint, 1999; Wolverton, 1999). Several of the other applied IT fields such as Informatics and Information Systems have also had success recruiting females. Ahuja, Robinson, Herring, and Ogan (2004) suggest that the women-friendly culture of these applied fields, along with their focus on real world problem solving and helping others, attracts more women and encourages them to succeed. Introduction