Computer science club for girls and boys – a survey study on gender differences

Gender disparities in participation in many STEM fields, particularly computer science, engineering, and physics, remain prevalent in Western societies. Stewart-Williams and Halsey contend that an important contributor to these disparities is gender differences in career-related preferences that are driven partly by biology. We argue that Stewart-Williams and Halsey understate the influence of cultural factors in shaping these preferences. We provide evidence for an important and overlooked cultural factor that contributes to gender disparities in computer science, engineering, and physics: masculine defaults. Masculine defaults exist when cultures value and reward traits and characteristics associated with the male gender role and see them as standard ( Cheryan & Markus, 2020 ). We provide examples of how changing computer science, engineering, and physics cultures can decrease gender disparities in participation. Finally, we discuss policy implications, specifically the importance of (1) recognizing that preferences for STEM are malleable and (2) addressing exclusionary cultures of STEM fields. Recognizing and changing exclusionary STEM cultures are important for creating a society that is more just and equitable.

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Why are women underrepresented in Computer Science? Gender differences in stereotypes, self-efficacy, values, and interests and predictors of future CS course-taking and grades

Computer Science Education ◽

10.1080/08993408.2014.963363 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (2-3) ◽

pp. 153-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 94

Author(s):

Sylvia Beyer

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Computer Science ◽

Self Efficacy

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Gender and End-User Computing

Human Computer Interaction ◽

10.4018/978-1-87828-991-9.ch003 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 25-32

Author(s):

Laura Beckwith ◽

Margaret Burnett ◽

Shraddha Sorte

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Computer Science ◽

Gender Issues ◽

End Users ◽

Strong Impact ◽

End User ◽

Significant Research ◽

Computing Environments ◽

And Gender ◽

End User Computing

Although gender differences in a technological world are receiving significant research attention, much of the research and practice has aimed at how society and education can impact the successes and retention of female computer science professionals. The possibility of gender issues within software, however, has received almost no attention, nor has the population of female end users. However, there is relevant foundational research suggesting that gender-related factors within a software environment that supports end-user computing may have a strong impact on how effective male and female end users can be in that environment. Thus, in this article, we summarize theory-establishing results from other domains that point toward the formation of grounded hypotheses for studying gender differences in end-user computing. There has been much background research relevant to human issues of end-user computing, which we define here as problem-solving using computer software, also termed end-user programming in some of the literature (e.g., Blackwell, 2002; Green & Petre, 1996; Nardi, 1993). (See the glossary for definitions of these and related terms.) Despite this, few researchers have considered potential gender HCI issues and gender differences that may need to be accounted for in designing end-user computing environments. The most notable exception is Czerwinski’s pioneering research on the support of both genders in navigating through 3-D environments (Czerwinski, Tan, & Robertson, 2002; Tan, Czerwinski, & Robertson, 2003). Although individual differences, such as experience, cognitive style, and spatial ability, are likely to vary more than differences between gender groups, evidence from Czerwinski’s work as well as work in other domains, such as psychology and marketing, has found gender differences relevant to computer usage. In fact, some research has shown that some software is (unintentionally) designed for males (Huff, 2002). One reason gender HCI issues in end-user computing are important is that ignorance of gender issues has already proven to be dangerous: today’s low percentage of computer science females (Camp, 1997) has been directly attributed to the past unawareness of gender issues in computer science education and in the workforce. There is a risk that if gender HCI issues in end-user computing environments are ignored, a similar phenomenon could occur with female end users.

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Comparing Gender Differences in Computer Science and Management Information Systems Majors

Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-815-4.ch018 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 109-115

Author(s):

Sylvia Beyer

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Information Systems ◽

Computer Science ◽

Management Information Systems ◽

Department Of Education ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

Management Information ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

It Workforce ◽

Bachelor's Degrees

Why do so few women major in computer science (CS) or management information systems (MIS)? Are the reasons for women’s underrepresentation in these two disciplines the same? I will address these issues by reporting on my research on female and male undergraduates majoring in CS or MIS. I hypothesize that results from one area of information technology (IT), such as CS, do not necessarily generalize to other areas of IT, such as MIS. Structural barriers exist that keep women from advancement in IT careers (cf. Ahuja, 2002). However, an examination of these is beyond the scope of this article, which focuses on gender differences in IT students. In 2002 only 27.6% of U.S. Bachelor’s degrees in CS and 36.8% in MIS were conferred on women (U.S. Department of Education, 2002), limiting the number of women qualified to enter into the IT workforce. The problem of women’s under representation in IT is not limited to the U.S. Women are underrepresented in CS majors in other Western countries such as Canada (Gadalla, 2001), Germany (Huber, Reiff, Ben, & Schinzel, 2001), Norway (Berg, Gansmo, Hestflatt, Lie, Nordli, & Sorenson, 2002), and Ireland (MacKeogh, 2003). IT cannot afford to underutilize such a valuable and significant part of the workforce. Increasing the representation of women is imperative because “greater diversity among those who create computing technology ensures that those technologies are relevant to and usable by a wider range of people” (Roberts, 2003).

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