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Tue 29 Apr 2025 11:25 - 11:50 at 208 - Session 2

Research shows that more than half of software professionals experience the Impostor Phenomenon (IP), with a notably higher prevalence among women compared to men. IP can lead to mental health consequences, such as depression and burnout, which can significantly impact personal well-being and software professionals’ productivity. This study investigates how IP manifests among software professionals across intersections of gender with race/ethnicity, marital status, number of children, age, and professional experience. Additionally, it examines the well-being of software professionals experiencing IP, providing insights into the interplay between these factors. We analyzed data collected through a theory-driven survey (n = 624) that used validated psychometric instruments to measure IP and well-being in software engineering professionals. We analyzed the prevalence of IP in the intersections of interest. Additionally, we applied bootstrapping to characterize well-being within our field and statistically tested whether professionals of different genders suffering from IP have lower well-being. The results show that IP occurs more frequently in women and that the prevalence is particularly high among black women who are single without children. Furthermore, regardless of gender, software engineering professionals suffering from IP have significantly lower well-being. Our findings indicate that effective IP mitigation strategies are needed to improve the well-being of software professionals. Mitigating IP would have particularly positive effects on the well-being of women, who are more frequently affected by IP.

Tue 29 Apr

Displayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change

11:00 - 12:30
Session 2GE@ICSE at 208
11:00
25m
Research paper
Elephant in the Room: Gender and Role Based Disparities in the Software Industry of Bangladesh?
GE@ICSE
Samiha Tahsin Noshin Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, Sharif Mohammad Abdullah Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, Soumitra Paul Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, Arnab Das Joy Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, Kazi Sakib Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, Noshin Tahsin Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka
11:25
25m
Research paper
Impostor Phenomenon Among Software Engineers: Investigating Gender Differences and Well-Being
GE@ICSE
Paloma Guenes Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rafael Tomaz Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Bianca Trinkenreich Colorado State University, Maria Teresa Baldassarre Department of Computer Science, University of Bari , Margaret-Anne Storey University of Victoria, Marcos Kalinowski Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
11:50
25m
Research paper
Investigating the Challenges Faced by Women on Software Engineering: a Grey Literature Study
GE@ICSE
Alessa Soares de Oliveira Federal Institute of Bahia, Sávio Freire Federal Institute of Ceará, Edna Dias Canedo University of Brasilia (UnB), Manoel Mendonça Federal University of Bahia, Larissa Rocha University of the State of Bahia (UNEB)
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