WHITHER WONDER WOMEN? ESSAYS ON GENDER DIVERSITY IN IT-ENABLED PROFESSIONAL AND CREATIVE DOMAIN

Abstract

Working towards equality and inclusion around gender and race in society is critically important. Despite the increasing number of conversations around these issues, more work is needed to evaluate the causes of unequal participation of men and women in organizations, markets, and economies. In particular, the lack of equity in terms of representation and participation within the important information technology (IT) sector has often been viewed as an ongoing problem. My dissertation focuses on this specific sector and explores potential remedies to enhance the participation and representation of women in specific segments of IT-enabled work, albeit in three different empirical contexts. In my first essay, I investigate the unequal participation of women in IT labor markets and whether they are less willing to compete for complex and risky IT projects. Through multiple experiments on technically trained students, I find that women in the IT industry are more willing to participate in bidding for riskier projects, and their bids are higher than those of men. My second essay studies the issue of unequal representation by women within the digital music industry, where inequitable representation has been clearly noted. Women artists are often faced with less attention, respect, and market share. The study shows that TikTok dance challenges offer a low-cost, effective way to promote artists and increase visibility. The challenges are particularly beneficial for women music artists. My third essay examines the intersection of gender and race in digital music consumption after Floyd's death. I explore whether music can raise awareness of social justice issues and the role of Black artists as sensemaking agents. I find that hip-hop listeners increased after Floyd's death, particularly in less racially diverse cities. Black artists received more listenership across all genres, but consumption was skewed towards Black men artists, highlighting the underrepresentation of women in Black-dominated music genres. Collectively, the findings from these studies in my dissertation will provide valuable theoretical contributions, practical insights, and actionable solutions to bind the gender gap and make the digital markets more diverse and inclusive.