Zamandlovu Makola, Esther Kgosinyane
The introduction identifies a gap in existing literature which explores factors impeding women’s entry into the South African ICT industry without developing a unified understanding to how to address them. The study sets out to learn how women gain access to the ICT industry which has the dual aim of providing recommendations for improving access, as well as explaining the barriers to entry outlined in previous scholarship. The study approaches its subject using a framework that views career development as a dynamic series of choices that occur over the course of a career and are influenced by a variety of social, familial and personal factors. A thematic analysis of women’s professional website profiles and blog entries was carried out to determine most frequently arising themes. These were found to relate to career opportunities, life interests, family influence and business interests. The study ultimately found that the emerging themes were largely consistent with previous literature on factors influencing women’s decisions to enter the ICT field, except the notable theme of chance, which indicates that not all decisions were conscious.