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Gende Code : A Na a i e E hical Glance A Women De elope s In Finnish In o ma ion
Technology
© 2024 he Au ho s
Published e sion
K onq is , Aila Johanna; Rousi, Rebekah
K onq is , A. J., & Rousi, R. (2024). Gende Code : A Na a i e E hical Glance A Women
De elope s In Finnish In o ma ion Technology. In C. M. G ay, E. Cilio a Chehade, P. Hekke , L.
Fo lano, P. Ciucca elli, & P. Lloyd (Eds.), DRS2024 : Bos on. Design Resea ch Socie y.
P oceedings o DRS. h ps://doi.o g/10.21606/d s.2024.501
2024
Design Resea ch Socie y Design Resea ch Socie y
DRS Digi al Lib a y DRS Digi al Lib a y
DRS Biennial Con e ence Se ies DRS2024: Bos on
Jun 23 d, 9:00 AM - Jun 28 h, 5:00 PM
Gende Code – A Na a i e E hical Glance A Women De elope s Gende Code – A Na a i e E hical Glance A Women De elope s
In Finnish In o ma ion Technology In Finnish In o ma ion Technology
Aila Johanna K onq is
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland
Rebekah Rousi
Uni e si y o Vaasa, Finland
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Johanna K onq is , A., and Rousi, R. (2024) Gende Code – A Na a i e E hical Glance A Women
De elope s In Finnish In o ma ion Technology, in G ay, C., Cilio a Chehade, E., Hekke , P., Fo lano, L.,
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Gende code: A na a i e e hical glance a women
de elope s in Finnish In o ma ion Technology
Aila K onq is a,b,*, Rebekah Rousic
aFacul y o In o ma ion Technology, Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Finland
bSoli a Oy, Finland
cSchool o Ma ke ing and Communica ion, Uni e si y o Vaasa, Finland
*Co esponding e-mail: aila.j.k onq is @s uden .jyu. i
doi.o g/10.21606/d s.2024.501
Abs ac : The In o ma ion Technology (IT) sec o is he cu en A hens o all indus y.
I is no longe geeky, bu chic, de ining he modes and limi s o mode n ci iliza ion. IT
in i s nume ous o ms, p o ides he ehicle o exp ession and ci izenship in con em-
po a y imes. While mo e women designe s and so wa e de elope s en e he ield
a e hey expe iencing a s onge sense o equali y? This pape epo s a na a i e in-
qui y ha p obed he expe iences o women p o essionals in he IT ield. Pa icula
a en ion was placed on how emales en e ed he ield, he oles and asks ha hey
o en ound hemsel es unde aking, and social ac o s in o ganiza ional communica-
ion ha we e speci ic o being emale in he ield. The esul s indica e biased condi-
ions. His o ical discou se p omo ing men as c ea i e and in ellec ual (I.e., echnical)
s ill h i es and women a e seen as adminis a o s (c a speople). The pape ponde s
how hese social dynamics a ec he cogni i e-a ec i e p ocesses o women de elop-
e s.
Keywo ds: women; gende ; e hics; design; p o ession; in o ma ion echnology
1. In oduc ion
Young, whi e, geeky (ye cool), and o cou se, male. These a e supposedly he men (people)
behind he global digi al ans o ma ion. A digi al ans o ma ion in which echnology ( ech)
and echnical skills become he a is ic enaissance o he new design e a (A nšu u, 2011).
Sound (look) amilia ? While a million and one images o Silicon Valley and he Wild Wes o
echnology de elopmen come o mind, he e a e ce ain s e eo ypes ha media, publics,
and o ganiza ions li e by (Cook, 2020; Hwang, 2005). Technology, i s de elopmen , and i s
business hold s ong posi ions in shaping he ace o design oday (Melbou ne, 2015), and
ice e sa. Design has al eady been ecognized as a s a egic means o bo h ma ke and
manage he complexi y o mode n echnology business ( ech biz; Gha ajedaghi, 2011). As
Aila K onq is , Rebekah Rousi
2
such, he wo play a p edominan ole in de ining indus y and socie y, and pa icula ly he
image o u u e p o essionals. Fo ins ance, acco ding o he Ho ma (2023) blog o u u e
digi al p o essions, he op u u e p o essions a e led by: 1) so wa e de elope s; 2) special-
is s in use /cus ome expe ience; and 3) c ea o s (e.g., digi al in luence s). The e a e bo h
c ea i e and enginee ing endencies indica ed wi hin hese i les ha se e o appeal o a i-
ous popula ion segmen s (Cap e z, 2015). All h ee a eas equi e c ea i i y and capaci y o
complex p oblem-sol ing, and all h ee in luence he o m and logic o digi al p oduc s and
se ices. Thus, he line be ween design, c ea i i y, and so wa e de elopmen is ine in o-
day’s p o essional landscape.
Coined by he Ha a d Business Re iew, he e m ‘in o ma ion echnology’ (IT) was i s ex-
p essed o dis inguish he di e ence be ween pu pose-buil machine y (i.e., a pape ma-
chine o ac o ) om gene al-pu pose machine y (i.e., digi al compu e s used o o he pu -
poses – wo d p ocessing, sp ead shee s, ope a ions suppo ing business enhancemen e c.)
(Cas agna & Bigelow, n.d.). O he e ms used in e changeably wi h IT a e in o ma ion and
communica ion echnology (ICT), and compu ing. A he hea o IT and i s associa ed indus-
y is he de elopmen o compu a ional and da a-d i en p oduc s. This includes all o ms o
compu e p og ams (so wa e), de ices (ha dwa e), and mo e ecen ly a i icial in elligence
(AI), and ela ed game-changing inno a ions by which ou socie ies a e becoming e e mo e
dependen . Ma ke s a e becoming e e mo e concen a ed owa ds ech biz and IT de elop-
men , and mo e equali y is seen in ela ion o who applies and gains employmen wi hin he
ield – male, emale o o he (Bolden-Ba e , 2019). Ye , simply because mo e women wo k
in he sec o , does no mean ha equali y applies o he oles and ea men o emale o
o he p o essionals who do no mee he young (and in some cases, e y young, see
S ypińska, Rosales, & S ensson, 2023), whi e, male ideal p omo ed in Silicon Valley s e eo-
ypes (Bu leigh, 2015; Hoss eld, 1990). Qui e he con a y, as anecdo es and ecollec ions o
women’s p o essional expe iences eme ge, i is also seen ha he quali y and ypes o expe-
iences o hese p o essionals di e si y om male coun e pa s (E a h, 2023). S udies e eal
inequali ies in wo k-li e balance be ween women and male IT p o essionals (Bha a hi &
Bha acha ya, 2015), and ha women’s pay le els a e signi ican ly lowe (In e na ional La-
bou Repo 2022-2023 ci es 20% less pay on a e age). Women pe o m undesi able asks
u hes away om c ea i e du ies (Rosse , 2005). While hese s o ies eme ge, schola ly in-
e es in aspec s a ec ing women’s p o essional expe iences in he IT ield seems o be lag-
ging, as wi nessed in he ela i ely small body o li e a u e a ailable.
This pape p esen s a s udy ha p obed he longi udinal wo k expe iences o middle-aged
women (40 o 60 yea s old) p o essionals ope a ing in IT. This ocus was decided on he ba-
sis o he au ho s’ expe iences as women in IT. I was seen as impe a i e o begin wi h
known e i o y, hen b anch ou owa ds complexi y by: a) isola ing issues om a c oss-sec-
ion o hemes ha will be es ed wi h a b oade spec um o gende iden i ies; b) speci i-
cally u ilizing his age g oup (as compa ed o a younge coho ) o iden i y whe he changes
ha e occu ed o e ime; and c) examining ac o s ha con ibu e o he unde - ep esen a-
Gende code
3
ion o women in he IT ield. The s udy is imely due o i s emphasis on he in e sec ion be-
ween he ea men o women p o essionals in IT and how hey ealize (ac ua e) hei du-
ies. He e, he e is a keen ocus on women in ela ion o c ea i e du ies. This is pe inen
gi en he signi ican ole ha IT plays in shaping he es o socie y’s e e yday li ed expe i-
ence. Thus, a ques ion unde lying he s udy ela es o how digi al p oduc s a e a ec ed o
neglec ed h ough gende bias and exclusion in design-based IT p o essions. By design-based
p o essions he au ho s e e o in o ma ion in ensi e, decision-making and di ec ion de in-
ing oles ha in luence he design ou come o IT de elopmen , including he wo k o so -
wa e de elope s. This means ha he la ge objec i es o he cu en s udy a e wo- old: a)
how mo e c ea i e and inclusi e p oduc s may be de eloped by mi iga ing he e ec s o bias
on he cogni i e-a ec i e pe o mance o emale IT p o essionals; and b) how h ough dis-
sec ing he ac o s con ibu ing o nega i e expe iences o emale p o essionals in IT we can
build social solu ions o os e mo e e hical and equal modes o p ac ice in he ield.
2. Gende , p o ession, and cogni i e-a ec i e designe hinking
Assumed oles based on gende a e inhe en o all cul u es (Kimmel, 2000). La en concep-
ions and new a ibu ions o hun e -ga he e s among male and emale oles, pe sis in he
21s cen u y (Hansen, Jensen & Sko sgaa d, 2015). The concen a ion o women’s p o es-
sional oles is mos ly ep esen ed in he heal h, ca e, and educa ion sec o s (E a h, 2023).
This means ha globally, 97.78% o nu ses (and hei assis an s) a e emale. F om an admin-
is a i e pe spec i e, 88.45% o all ecep ionis s a e emale, as a e 95.65% o legal sec e a -
ies. O e 90% o he wo ld’s p ima y school eache s a e women (S a is a, 2023). F om a cul-
u al pe spec i e, 89.09% o dance s a e emale, and so oo a e 75% o all unway models
(Zippia, 2023). I is in e na ionally ecognized ha o na ional economies o a e well,
women need o be ac i e in he wo k o ce (UN Women, 2023). Ye , as we see in hese ig-
u es, p o essional oles a e dis ibu ed hea ily acco ding o las ing s e eo ypes. I women
a e no ac i ely ca ing o , aising and educa ing o he s, hey should exis o sexual and aes-
he ic pleasu e. As Simon Da is (1990) s a es, men a e “success objec s” and women a e
“sex objec s”.
Sadly, despi e g ea e o , s ill signi ican imbalance can be obse ed in he numbe s o gen-
de ep esen a ion among IT p o essionals. In ac , only 28% o science, echnical, enginee -
ing and ma hema ical (STEM) oles a e held by women (Whi e, 2023). E en wo se, jus 38%
o all women who ha e g adua ed om uni e si y wi h a majo in compu e science ac ually
wo k in he IT ield (Zippia, 2022). These numbe s a e c ucial when unde s anding he in lu-
ence o he IT sec o in o ming socie y and i s ou look. No only does di e si y in IT eams
mean highe le els o employee engagemen , be e and mo e c ea i e pe o mance, as well
as g ea e le els o employee e en ion (Whi e, 2023), i also means ai e , e hical, and mo e
ca e ully designed ( hough ul) sys ems (G eene, Ho mann & S a k, 2019).
No only do he e ec s o equali y and inequali y e lec in he sys ems we a e su ounded
by on a collec i e le el, bu he implica ions o cons an ma ginaliza ion, exclusion and in

Aila K onq is , Rebekah Rousi
4
some cases, gende -based ha assmen , ca y wi h hem psychological, cogni i e, and pe o -
mance-based ami ica ions (Hi lan, Cli on & DeSo o, 2006; Sy jämäki & Hie anen, 2019) as
seen in Figu e 1.
Figu e 1 P o essional gende assump ions and impac on design
Figu e 1 shows he ole o gende in selec ing o being selec ed o a p o ession. I indica es
he ac o s o social in e ac ion (ac oss gende s and cul u es), he oles designa ed o p o es-
sionals ( o mal and in o mal), he ac ual asks ha he p o essional engages wi h, and he
subsequen ou pu . I obse es psychological ba ie s and s igma a ached o he gende ed
wo k o ce expe ience and cogni i e load. The psychological ba ie s include he impac o
nega i e in e pe sonal in e ac ion on ‘sel - alk’ - he way in which we in o m ou sel es how
we a e and how we exis in he wo ld (Le eb e e al., 2022). Resea ch ocusing on he im-
pac o sel - alk on pe o mance has been pa icula ly concen a ed o he ield o spo s,
obse ing ac o s such as anxie y and s ess gene a ed by nega i e sel - alk (see VanRaal e,
Vincen & B ewe , 2016).
Ano he ac o o conside as an ou come o he in e play be ween social in e ac ion and
ole delega ion is cogni i e load. In o he wo ds, as seen in cu en in e na ional s a is ics
(UN Women, 2023; U win, 2023; Whi e, 2023; Zippia, 2022) women a e all oo o en no
only being excluded om echnical and c ea i e oles in IT - i.e., he in e es ing ask a eas –
bu , hey a e being bu dened wi h excessi e amoun s o adminis a i e wo k. The e is an in-
e ac ion be ween less in e es ing o s imula ing wo k ha is con ounded by an abundance
o (bo ing, epe i i e) asks (Vannes e e al., 2021). Mo eo e , s udies ha e shown limi a-
ions in he capaci y o women o con ol hei own esou ces, goals, and ou comes (Acke ,
2006). This, combined wi h he a o emen ioned ac o s, esul s in dec eased wellbeing
among women p o essionals (Al ey & Twine, 2017).
C ea i i y and he abili y o exe cise i in he wo kplace con ibu e o mo e han jus wellbe-
ing. C ea i i y and he abili y o hink and wo k like a designe engende s a o m o agency
and owne ship wi hin he p o essional and hei eam ha ca ies in o p oduc (Umuko o &
Egwakhe, 2021). Iden i y is a key componen o how people expe ience agency, belonging,
Gende code
5
and con ibu ion, pa icula ly wi hin knowledge in ensi e wo k (Al ey & Twine, 2017). T adi-
ionally his oo has been nega ed om he pe spec i e o women. Looking back down he
lines o design his o y we see ea lie e sions o he same phenomena we a e cu en ly ex-
pe iencing in he IT indus y. In Finland, while indus y s a ed o lou ish du ing he la e
1800s and ea ly 1900s, women applying o schools o a and design we e di ec ed owa ds
he ex iles and handic a s depa men s (S inhu ud, 1998). This was because hey we e
no conside ed in ellec ually capable o unde aking c ea i e, decision-making asks ha
would esul in o ging he di ec ion o e e yday li ing, i s p oduc s, and socie y (K onq is &
Rousi, 2023; Riska, 2008; U iainen e al., 2014). IT design and de elopmen equi e mul i-
p o essional eams – all eam membe s being con ibu o s o he design and di ec ion o he
p oduc s and se ices. The neglec o in eg a e he c ea i e con ibu ion o women weakens
he quali y and pe o mance o designs in addi ion o hei a ibu es o inclusi i y, ai ness,
and sus ainabili y.
3. Me hod
Na a i e inqui y (Clandinin & Caine, 2013) was employed o in es iga e he expe iences and
cons uc ions o p o essional iden i y and app oach o women wo king in he IT ield. The
aim was o examine designe hinking (cogni ion and a ec when engaging in design and
so wa e de elopmen 1 wo k) and how i was a ec ed by being emale in he sec o . Pa ici-
pan s we e asked o w i e a ee- o m s o y abou hei own p o essional jou ney, beginning
om when hey decided o s udy IT, up o he p esen day. A se o ques ions we e p o ided
o he pa icipan s o suppo hei w i ing. The ques ions we e designed o guide he w i -
ing p ocess and suppo wha he pa icipan s we e ying o explain. The da a was collec ed
om Decembe 2022 o Janua y 2023.
3.1 Pa icipan s
When selec ing pa icipan s, concen a ion was placed on women p o essionals who had
been wo king in he ield o o e 10 yea s. Ideally, he pa icipan s would ha e gained sub-
s an ial expe ience om se e al oles du ing hei ca ee s. This mean ha he pa icipan s
we e o e 40 yea s o age. The minimum pa icipan age was 32 yea s old, and he oldes 68
yea s o age. The a e age age was 49.7 yea s while he mean s ood a 48.1. Mo eo e , one
c i e ium o selec ion was ha pa icipan s we e bo n emale, meaning ha hey ha e no
expe ienced li e o ca ee as a man o non-bina y, as his would a ec he esul s ia bo h
ex e nal (social) and in e nal (social psychological) ac o s. Focus was placed on women in
mo e design- ocused oles, including in o ma ion a chi ec s and designe s. Con enience and
snowball sampling (Eme son, 2015; Pa ke , Sco & Geddes, 2019) was employed, and pa -
1
These days a ious design hinking me hods ha encou age gaining deepe unde s and o use s and p oblem spaces a e
also u ilized by so wa e de elope s (see e.g., Gama e al., 2023).
Aila K onq is , Rebekah Rousi
6
icipan s we e ec ui ed ei he di ec ly ia Au ho s 1’s own ne wo k, he employe ’s discus-
sion channels (i.e., Slack and Teams), o ia a call o pa icipan s pos ed on LinkedIn.
Twen y- wo women esponded o he inqui y, while 17 ended up pa icipa ing in he s udy.
3.2 P ocedu e and e hical esea ch
Upon esponding o he call o pa icipan s, olun ee s we e sen an email wi h a Mic oso
Wo d empla e ea u ing he suppo ques ions. As he aim was o cap u e ee- o m e-
sponses, pa icipan s did no need o ollow his s uc u e. In addi ion o he s udy empla e,
in compliance wi h he Gene al Da a P o ec ion Regula ion (GDPR) and e hical esea ch
p ac ice, pa icipan s we e supplied wi h a esea ch no ice (in o ma ion o he s udy), p i-
acy no ice (in o ma ion on he da a o be collec ed, p ocessing, s o age and publishing
p ac ices), and an in o med consen o m. Pa icipan s we e asked o sign he in o med con-
sen be o e p oceeding wi h w i ing hei esponses. They we e hen gi en wo weeks o
w i e hei na a i es, hen send hem o Au ho 1. Responses we e on a e age 3.3 A4 pages
long (wi h a mean o 3.1 pages – a e age wo d coun 1028).
3.3 Analysis
Once he na a i es we e ecei ed, Au ho 1 analyzed he ex s wi h he aid o A las. i so -
wa e. In he so wa e, da a was coded and ca ego ized acco ding o he suppo ques ions
and hemes. The codes we e u he de eloped ia in e es ing obse a ions – aspec s aised
by he pa icipan s ha he esea ch had no p e iously accoun ed o . Speci ic a en ion
was placed on ma e s ha indica ed a di ec co ela ion be ween he pa icipan s’ expe i-
ences and hei emale iden i y. Analysis ook place, s ep-by-s ep. The i s s ep was o a ain
and agg ega e he backg ound in o ma ion p o ided by pa icipan s. The second s ep en-
ailed de ising he codes in A las. i, hen engaging in a mo e de ailed hema ic na a i e
analysis (Beng sson & Ande sen, 2020; Ronkainen, Wa kins & Ryba, 2016). The codes and
hemes we e hen e iewed by Au ho 2, and ia discussion consensus was made on ele-
an hemes eme ging in he esul s ha a e hus, epo ed in his pape .
4. Resul s
Fou een pa icipan s held a highe educa ion deg ee (Bachelo s o Mas e s). Th ee epo ed
ha hey had g adua ed om high school. Gi en he ages o he pa icipan s, om he ime
hey had pa icipa ed in school o he p esen , changes ha e occu ed in he school sys em.
Thus, mos o he pa icipan s ha e comple ed high school and achie ed he equi emen s o
e ia y educa ion en y (see Finnish Na ional Agency o Educa ion, 2023). Eigh pa icipan s
had mo e han one quali ica ion such as oca ional college in addi ion o hei bachelo 's o
mas e 's deg ee o mo e han one bachelo 's o mas e 's deg ee. Some o he pa icipan s
epo ed high school diplomas hey possessed.
Th ee pa icipan s did no ha e an IT quali ica ion o had no comple ed hei educa ion in
he ield ( wo pa icipan s). Two pa icipan s d opped ou o IT educa ion – one due o poo
Gende code
7
ca ee oppo uni ies a he ime (P3), and he o he due o employmen al eady du ing s ud-
ies (P17). Owing o job demands, P17 ne e a emp ed o inalize s udies. Th ee pa icipan s
ob ained hei educa ion in ano he ield ou side IT. Fo example, P10 g adua ed wi h a mas-
e ’s deg ee in psychology, o he s g adua ed om Go e nmen al S udies (P7, P12). These
pa icipan s ended up in an IT p o ession wi hou o mal educa ion in he ield, by pa icipa -
ing in IT- ela ed asks.
Many ansi ioned o IT by chance. Fo his eason, hey did no ha e any o iginal ca ee
plans o his, and in pa icula , plans we e no ealized om his pe spec i e. Many a i ed
in he IT ield h ough wo k and la e became in e es ed in educa ion in his a ea. Eigh pa -
icipan s epo ed ha chance was one o he easons o en e ing IT.
“I acciden ally ended up in he IT ield.” (P15)
“I landed in he ield coinciden ally. A e high school I didn’ know which di ec ion o
ake, and I no iced om he Ch is ian College newsle e a cou se o IT in he coming
yea … I con inued along he IT line a Comme cial School. I unde ook a summe job in
he IT depa men o Company A L d and h ough his go o know he wo k o he
ield. A e g adua ing om comme cial school, I applied o wo k a Company B, and
I’m s ill he e. I liked p og amming, low cha s, and s ill ‘lo e’ p ocess diag ams.” (P1)
“Be o e coming ac oss o he IT ield, i was clea o me ha I wan ed o s udy lan-
guages and wo k as an in e p e e . When a gene al applica ion ound came up du ing
my inal yea o high school, I couldn’ ind an educa ional ins i u ion ea u ing my de-
si ed s udies in my home own. I did no e en hink o changing loca ions. Some o my
acquain ances wo ked in he IT ield and I decided o apply o educa ion in his ield.”
(P5)
Nine pa icipan s had epo ed ha i was in e es ha led hem o he ield. Six possessed
skills ha we e ele an o he ield, and ou o hem we e pe suaded by job oppo uni ies.
One o he pa icipan s men ioned ha hey chose IT because o i s s a us in socie y.
Du ing hei p o essions, he pa icipan s wo ked in di e en sized companies. One o he
pa icipan s was an en ep eneu . O e all, 23 wo k expe iences we e epo ed by pa ici-
pan s abou wo k in la ge companies (i.e., o e 250 employees, see OECD, 2023). Thi een
men ions we e o ha ing wo ked o a public o ganiza ion, 16 expe iences we e epo ed
abou wo king o mid-sized businesses (50-249 employees), and ou pa icipan s o a
small business (less han 10 employees). Ten men ions we e made abou wo king in o he
ields besides IT du ing hei p o essional li e. Pa icipan s had wo ked in a ious posi ions
du ing hei ca ee s. Mos o he pa icipan s had been in ei he p ojec managemen o sys-
em de elopmen . Some o hem had expe ience in leade ship posi ions ( eam leade s o
simila ), sales, cus ome se ice o o he o ganiza ional oles (i.e., esea ch assis an ).
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A ea
Coun
Q3:1 Cus ome se ice
2
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Abou he Au ho s:
Aila K onq is is a Doc o al Candida e a he Uni e si y o Jy äskylä,
Finland. K onq is holds a MSc in Cogni i e Science and possesses ex-
ensi e wo k expe ience in he In o ma ion Technology sec-
o . K onq is 's esea ch in e es s include e hics, design hinking and
emo ions in ela ion o p o essional expe ience in design and de elop-
men .
Rebekah Rousi is an Associa e P o esso o Communica ion and Digi al
Economy a he Uni e si y o Vaasa. Rousi holds a PhD in Cogni i e
Science, ocusing on human expe ience (semio ics, logic, philosophy o
mind) wi h and in echnology. Rousi’s esea ch in e es s include ech-
nology e hics, us and p i acy, pos colonial heo y, as well as embod-
ied emo ional expe ience, pa icula ly in ela ion o physicalized o-
bo s and a i icial in elligence.