The Impact of Race and Gender Differences on Job performance Evaluations and Career Success

United States government statistics have shown that although women and minorities have made impressive gains in employment during 1980s, they continue to be underrepresented in positions of power and responsibility, especially at the senior management and executive positions. This trend has also been observed in the Information Systems (IS) field (Wilson, 1990). It has been reported that women and blacks encounter a glass ceiling that prevents them from reaching the top levels of IS positions (Johnson, 1990; Morrison and Glinow, 1990). A number of potential causes of this glass ceiling effect have been suggested: