Girls from Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds: Factors Influencing their Interest in ICT Study and Career

The under-representation of women in information and communication technology (ICT) fields of study and occupations has attracted considerable attention of researchers in higher education. This paper discusses findings of a preliminary investigation aimed to investigate further study and career preferences of female students in one of Melbourne’s all-female secondary schools and determine factors that might influence their decisions. The investigation focused on female students from schools in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, home to families with low socio-economic status and students exposed to “educational disadvantage”