HOW THE PERCEIVED MASCULINITYAND/OR FEMININITY OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS INFLUENCES STUDENTS ’ SOFTWARE PREFERENCES

Increasingly, technology skills are becoming central to academic and eco-nomic success. More and more technological tools are becoming a vehicle for teaching and learning and a vehicle for buying and selling goods. However, research continues to show that women lag behind men in PC-ownership regardless of social economic status (SES) or education level (Lenhart, 2003; McConnaughey & Lader, 1998); girls take fewer computer science and computer design courses and consistently rate themselves significantly lower than boys in terms of computer skills (AAUW, 1998); men outnumber women 6 to 1 in computer science Ph.D. programs (AAUW, 2000; Furger, 1998); and girls and boys are more likely to perceive computers as a male domain (Clewell, 2002; Eastman & Krendl, 1987). Due to our society’s increasing dependence on technological skills, the continued existence of the techno-logical gender and cultural gap is a problem that must be explored with vigor in order to ensure that the technological tools we use provide equitable1 access to and experiences for women and children of color. LITERATURE REVIEW Researchers have put forth explanations for why the gender differences outlined above exist. Explanations include unequal access (Hanor, 1998; Miller, Chaika, &amp