Wicht, AlexandraAlexandraWichtKleinert, CorinnaCorinnaKleinert0000-0002-9285-6070Schmidt, IsabelleIsabelleSchmidt2024-02-072024-02-072023https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/93331We examine the intersection of gender and social as well as ethnic family background to explain individual differences in skills in information and communications technology (ICT) during adolescence. We used data from the National Educational Panel Study Starting Cohort 4 (NEPS-SC4), which contains repeated measures of ICT skills spanning three years (grades 9 and 12) in a sample of 5,507 students attending upper secondary schools [Gymnasium or comprehensive schools with Gymnasium track] in Germany. The results indicate a gender gap in ICT skills in grade 9 in favor of males, which widens further in grade 12. Moreover, ICT skills in grade 9 are a function of the interaction of gender and social background, with gender differences not observed among socially privileged students with high economic and cultural capital, suggesting more gender-egalitarian socialization among them. In contrast, the gender gap in the change in ICT skills in grade 12 remains largely unaffected by family background. Only income plays a role, with the gender gap disappearing for students with higher economic capital. The finding that intersectionality is less evident in the further development of gender-specific ICT skills points to the relevance of factors outside the family context.engICT skills370preprint10.31235/osf.io/vewbf