Male/female programmer and systems analyst Job performance

ABSTRACT

Differential psychologists have long reported that there are some male/female performance differences. For reasons that are not so well established, males tend to have better quantitative skills while females have better language and social skills (Anastasia, 1958).

The various tests that have been developed over the years to select programmers have centered upon quantitative skills as a significant predictor of programmer success (Willoughby, 1972). Shrout, 1971, found that written, oral and social communication skills were the most important skills of a systems analyst.

Therefore, it was our hypothesis that males should perform better as programmers and females better as systems analysts.

A Fortune 100 company made available the performance ratings of its programmers and systems analysts. The data is summarized in Table 1. One doesn't need an elaborate statistical argument to conclude that the expected differences did not occur. The hypothesis was rejected.

The possible reasons for these results include:

• The populations of programmers and systems analysts are self selected in such a manner that male/female differences no longer occur. Willoughby (1971) reported that younger women data processors had interests very like males.

• This company's selection process could have eliminated the differences that might exist in the population. However, this organization used no tests in its selection process so any such result would be either accidental or perhaps based upon stereotypes. This alternative seems unlikely.

Therefore, we believe the population of programmers and systems analysts are now so homogeneous in their skills so that selection, promotion or assignment based upon any differences that might exist in the general population is inappropriate. There is no reason to believe that selection based upon presumed male/female differences would result in superior performance.

References

1. Anastasi, Anne, Differential Psychology, New York: MacMillan, 1958, Third Edition.
2. Bartol, Kathryn M., "Managing information Systems Personnel: A Review of the Literature and Managerial Implications,'' MIS Quarterly, Special Issue, December 1982, pp. 49-70.
3. Minton, Henry L. and Schneider, Frank W., Differential Psychology, Monterey, Ca.: Brooks and Cole, 1980.
4. Shrout, Ethel H., "Competencies and Training Requirements for Information Systems Analysts," Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Computer Research Conference, June 21-22, 1971, pp. 75-100.
5. Willoughby, Theodore C., "Needs, Interests, Reinforcer Patterns, and Satisfaction of Data Processing Personnel," unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1971.
6. Willoughby, Theodore C., "Staffing the MIS Function," Computing Surveys, Vol. 4, No. 4, December 1972, pp. 241-259.

Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Management of computing and information systems

      • Project and people management

        • Project staffing

        • Systems analysis and design