How Can You Promote Gender Diversity in Computer Science?
In 8th grade, I was given a choice to enroll in biology or Principals of Engineering. The students were given time in class to think about this decision and to fill out a small slip of paper reflecting our preferences. In alphabetical order, my science teacher called us up to finalize our schedules. Throughout the process, I noticed a pattern in how she was advising her students. Male students were not questioned on their decision, regardless of which class they chose. Female students who chose biology were given approval. However, female students who chose Principals of Engineering, as I did, were asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to try biology?”. I may not have appreciated it at the time, but I now understand how implicit bias can affect life choices from even an incredibly young age. Even though I had the credentials and requirements needed to excel in Principals of Engineering, this comment from my teacher coupled with the vast number of girls choosing biology caused me to second guess myself. Thankfully, I stuck with engineering. However, over the course of the years, I noticed fewer and fewer female students in my classes. In high school, I was one of four girls in my AP Computer Science class, which had close to 30 students. Today, as a computer science major, I noticed on my first day of classes that I was the only female in a class of 22 students. This pattern of dwindling female students in STEM classes is both confusing and concerning to me. STEM fields and computer science occupations are high-paying and in demand. What is keeping women from taking part in this expanding market? Despite recent efforts, computer science is still an extremely male-dominated field.
Stories like mine are not unusual for female students. The average percentage of female computer science majors compared to males is less than 20%. According to Ahlam Lee, an associate professor in the school of psychology at Xavier University, “[C]omputer science-related occupations are projected to increase by 19% from 2016 to 2026, which is faster than the average rate of all occupations.” Since computer science is among one of the most rapidly growing fields, adding gender diversity would not only be good for women, but it would also be beneficial for the economy. More women in highly skilled jobs, such as computer programming, would lead to higher income, improved healthcare, and a better quality of life for their families.
Which areas need the most attention to promote gender diversity in computer science? One would think it to be in the workforce, but priority should be given to the education system. Over the past month, I’ve researched this issue in three main parts: how stereotypes affect women’s perception of computer science, how early STEM education affects gender diversity in computer science, and how colleges are increasing gender diversity in computer science majors.
Sometimes, women themselves have preconceived feelings of hesitancy to enroll in computer science classes. This could possibly be due to stereotypes about women in STEM or because of the widely held belief that coding is difficult. Jan Cuny, the Program Director of Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21), offers more insight. She states that some might believe “computing is too hard for girls, that it’s geeky, that it requires a singleminded 24/7 focus, and — maybe worst of all — that computer science equals programming and so provides little benefit to society” (“Why”). While I personally disagree with these stereotypes, after witnessing these trends, I can understand why they are so prevalent. The belief that computing is too difficult for girls could originate from something as innocent-sounding as a mother telling her child, “I’m not good at math. Wait for your dad to come home so he can help you with your homework”. The myth that computer science is too geeky could come from the story of “skinny white boy with round glasses who only talks in numbers makes a computer program”, which is often the only story provided by Hollywood. And while it is a widespread belief that programming requires a single-minded 24/7 focus; it simply isn’t true. One of the biggest advantages of learning how to code is to develop programs that focus on a task, freeing developers to use their time more productively.
In any case, it is indisputable that there is little representation of women in STEM. I conducted an anonymous survey among college students and found that among the 14 respondents, the majority have either never heard of a significant woman in computer science or didn’t remember her name. Furthermore, not a single person was able to name both a woman in computer science and her contribution. Some of the more concerning answers I found include: “The women from Hidden Figures, that one trans woman who did a lot of coding stuff in the 70s whose name I don’t know” and “[S]he switched majors to Sociology because she didn’t feel computer science was her thing.” I think this clearly shows that female representation in computer science is severely lacking. Every person who answered the survey wished that these role models were discussed more. Some of the more detailed answers I’d like to highlight include: “Everyone knows Steve Jobs and Bill Gates but they’re just the faces of their corporations, there’s a ton of women behind the scenes doing the actual work (and men, but I’m more interested in learning about the women)” and “Women in STEM need more representation. I feel like non-men tend to shy away from STEM fields because they feel overshadowed by men and only learning about male scientists does nothing to help that.” (Deneen). Women in STEM should be talked about more in early education, as bias can start as early as preschool (Armstrong).
How does early STEM education affect diversity in computer science? Code.org is a free educational program aimed at young elementary-aged children, which gives students small, scripted tasks that can be solved with a building-block approach to coding. Although this is not regarded as “real coding”, it does provide a good introduction to the concepts. Shortly after Code.org and the College Board increased their efforts to offer a computer science education, “the number of female students who took AP CS exams increased 31%” (Lee). This is incredibly significant, especially since the representation across AP exams is roughly consistent with the composition of the nation’s workforce (Lee). However, despite these efforts, women are still noticeably and vastly outnumbered. The gender gap is not even predicted to close at any time this century (Metz). I understand that there is a lot of work being done to increase gender diversity in computer science, but I believe there is still more that can be done.
Beyond high school and early education, some colleges and universities are taking steps to increase gender diversity in their own communities. As previously mentioned, the average ratio of women in computer science is 1:10. At Washington and Lee, it is almost 1:3. There could be a few reasons for this, one being that 25% of the computer science faculty are female. But the most prominent reason to me is that Intro to Computer Science is a class requirement (“Bringing”). This helps a lot of women jump over the mental hurdle of thinking that computer science is too difficult for them. Washington and Lee is not the only college to do this. Harvey Mudd was able to get comparable results after creating a second Intro to Computer Science course. “Instead of 10 percent, in any given year, the number of women computer science majors [at Harvey Mudd] ranges between 40 and 50 percent” (“Colleges”). This increase in female computer science majors is a gigantic step forward. Even though it isn’t a requirement to take, it is aimed towards students who have had no previous experience, making it more accessible to women. I strongly believe it would positively impact gender diversity in STEM fields if more actions like these are taken in places of higher education.
There is still a long way to go in terms of reaching gender equality in computer science, but we are on the right track. If more widespread efforts are instilled, such as: teaching young students about female role models in computer science, having more STEM learning opportunities open to young students, and encouraging college-age women to take an Intro to Computer Science class, gender diversity in computer science will become a much more level playing field. You, yourself, could make a difference. If you’re a parent or young student, consider contacting your local school board about supplying more STEM opportunities for students. A few examples of this would be establishing a Girls Who Code club or more computer programming electives. If you are a female working in a computer science field, try presenting to students and serving as a role model. Educators could do their part by teaching about women in STEM as part of their lessons and advocating to have it officially added to the curriculum. If you are a college student, ask your university to make Intro to Computer Science a requirement or to add an additional computer science course aimed at those who have had no prior experience. If you are a woman, you should strongly consider taking a computer science course, even if your advisor second guesses your choices. I could really use some company.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Amanda. “Bias Starts as Early as Preschool, but Can Be Unlearned.” Edutopia, George Lucas
Educational Foundation, 4 June 2019,
https://www.edutopia.org/article/bias-starts-early-preschool-can-be-unlearned.
Bringing More Women into Computer Science. BruCon Publishing Company, Bartonsville, 2012. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/reports/bringing-more-women-into-computer-science/docview/1038103531/se-2?accountid=11920.
Colleges have Increased Women Computer Science Majors: What can Google Learn? NPR, Washington, D.C., 2017. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/other-sources/colleges-have-increased-women-computer-science/docview/1927739063/se-2?accountid=11920
Deneen, Emily. “Education About Women in Computer Science.” Survey. 1 Dec. 2021. Web.
Lee, Ahlam. “The Association between Female Students’ Computer Science Education and STEM Major Selection: Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling.” Computers in the Schools, vol. 37, no. 1, 2020, pp. 17–39., https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2020.1720553.
Metz, Cade. “The Gender Gap in Computer Science Research Won’t Close for 100 Years.” The
New York Times, The New York Times, 21 June 2019,
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/technology/gender-gap-tech-computer
science.html.
Tully-McManus, Katherine. “Senate Honors Trailblazing Women in Computer Science.” Roll Call, Jul 30, 2018. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/senate-honors-trailblazing-women-computer-science/docview/2079470249/se-2?accountid=11920 .
“Why STEM Fields Still Don’t Draw More Women.” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol.
59, no. 10, 2 Nov. 2012, pp. B24–B27. EBSCOhost,
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