The underrepresentation of women in ICT-related professions is even stronger than at tertiary education level. Less women than men who graduated in computer science and informatics choose a career in this field.
According to Dick and Rallis (1991), career choice is influenced by people’s self-concept, their perception oftheir own abilities, and the subj ective value of certain career pathways. These beliefs build on experiences made during school and family life, including the perceived expectations or attitudes of other people (socialisers) such as peers, parents and teachers. In this respect, stereotypical career perspectives of socialisers can influence the career choices of men and women differently. Findings of the survey conducted by Dick and Rallis show that for women, the attitude of teachers is a significant factor for choosing or not choosing a career in engineering or science; however, still other socialisers play an important role. The expected salary is less important for women, but men consider it in their career choice to a greater extent.
Employment statistics and information on the salary provide insights into on the gender gap in ICT-related professions and careers. Again, we will describe the particular situation in each country, and reflect on the differences and similarities afterwards. The heterogeneity of the data hardly provides information on the same professions for both countries, e. g. for Germany, we selected exemplary data for data processing professionals, as well as from graduates of computer science, mathematics and engineering; while for Greece the focus is on the differences of men and women working in the technical departments at universities, as well as on total employment and unemployment rates.