Barbara Crump

The Gender Pay Gap in the ICT Labour Market: Comparative Experiences from the UK and New Zealand

This paper addresses the issues surrounding gender pay gaps focusing on the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector of the labour market. Reporting on research conducted in the UK and New Zealand (NZ) we adopted a mixed method approach using comparable qualitative and quantitative research techniques to investigate pay issues amongst women working in ICT in the UK and NZ. Our findings reveal commonalities of experience and some interesting differences. Unlike with the UK sample, for example, in NZ women working in ICT do not believe that their pay reflects their workload, skills and their position within their own organisation. Our study found that non‐transparent pay and reward systems and salary secrets exacerbate inequality and discrimination in the UK and NZ. The paper concludes by offering some policy directions to encourage a narrowing of the gender pay gap and reflects on the benefits of doing cross‐national research.

Institutions, Community, and People: An Evaluation of a Longitudinal Digital Divide Experience

A community computing center was established in late 2001 in a city council high-rise apartment block in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. The center was one of five computing hubs (centers) of the Smart Newtown Project, established with economic and social inclusion objectives, in the lower socio-economic suburb of Newtown. The project aim was to reduce inequalities of access to information and communications technology (ICT). A partnership approach was adopted that included multiple stakeholders: city council employees and councillors, a communications trust, universities, staff of a computer corporation, and some apartment residents. After 4 years of operation, the center was closed and remains so at the time of writing. Using a theoretical framework that includes Warschauer’s (2003) model of ICT for social inclusion, the concept of social capital, and Oldenburg’s (1991) third place, this paper examines reasons for the center’s closure. The main findings reveal that low social capital and the inadequate support of social resources in the form of the community and an institution were key factors in the closure of this initiative. Recommendations are made for implementing future projects.