scholarly journals Factors Influencing Women’s Decision to Study Computer Science: Is It Context Dependent?

10.28945/4281 ◽  
2019 ◽  

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2019 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 16] Aim/Purpose: Our research goal was to examine the factors that motivate women to enroll in Computer Science (CS) courses in order to better understand the small number of women in the field of CS. Background: This work is in line with the growing interest in better understanding the problem of the underrepresentation of women in the field of CS. Methodology: We focused on a college that differs in its high numbers of female CS students. The student population there consists mostly of religious Jews; some of them are Haredi, who, because of their unique lifestyle, are expected to be the breadwinners in their family. Following group interviews with 18 students, a questionnaire was administered to all the female students and 449 of them responded. We analyzed it statistically. We compared the responses of the Haredi and non-Haredi students. Contribution: The main contribution of this work lies in the idea that studying the factors underlying women’s presence in a CS program in unique communities and cultures, where women are equally represented in the field, might shed light on the nature of this phenomenon, especially whether it is universal or confined to the surrounding culture. Findings: There were significant differences between the Haredi and non-Haredi women regarding the importance they attributed to different factors. Haredi women resemble, regarding some social and economic variables, women in developing countries, but differ in others. The non-Haredi women are more akin to Western women, yet they did not completely overlap. Both groups value their family and career as the most important factors in their lives. These factors unify women in the West and in developing countries, though with different outcomes. In the West, it deters women from studying CS, whereas in Israel and in Malaysia, other factors can overcome this barrier. Both groups attributed low importance to the masculine image of CS, found important in the West. Hence, our findings support the hypothesis that women’s participation in the field of CS is culturally dependent. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is important to learn about the culture within which women operate in order to attract more women to CS. Recommendations for Researchers: Future work is required to examine other loci where women are underrepre-sented in CS, as well as how the insights obtained in this study can be utilized to decrease women’s underrepresentation in other loci. Impact on Society: Women's underrepresentation in CS is an important topic for both economic and social justice reasons. It raises questions regarding fairness and equality. In the CS field the gender pay gaps are smaller than in other professional areas. Thus, resolving the underrepresentation of women in CS will serve as a means to decrease the social gender gap in other areas.

10.28945/4296 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 127-141
Author(s):  
Sarah Genut ◽  
Bnaya Ori ◽  
Yifat Ben-David Kolikant

Aim/Purpose: Our research goal was to examine the factors that motivate women to enroll in Computer Science (CS) courses in order to better understand the small number of women in the field of CS. Background: This work is in line with the growing interest in better understanding the problem of the underrepresentation of women in the field of CS. Methodology: We focused on a college that differs in its high numbers of female CS students. The student population there consists mostly of religious Jews; some of them are Haredi, who, because of their unique lifestyle, are expected to be the breadwinners in their family. Following group interviews with 18 students, a questionnaire was administered to all the female students and 449 of them responded. We analyzed it statistically. We compared the responses of the Haredi and non-Haredi students. Contribution: The main contribution of this work lies in the idea that studying the factors underlying women’s presence in a CS program in unique communities and cultures, where women are equally represented in the field, might shed light on the nature of this phenomenon, especially whether it is universal or confined to the surrounding culture. Findings: There were significant differences between the Haredi and non-Haredi women regarding the importance they attributed to different factors. Haredi women resemble, regarding some social and economic variables, women in developing countries, but differ in others. The non-Haredi women are more akin to Western women, yet they did not completely overlap. Both groups value their family and career as the most important factors in their lives. These factors unify women in the West and in developing countries, though with different outcomes. In the West, it deters women from studying CS, whereas in Israel and in Malaysia, other factors can overcome this barrier. Both groups attributed low importance to the masculine image of CS, found important in the West. Hence, our findings support the hypothesis that women’s participation in the field of CS is culturally dependent. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is important to learn about the culture within which women operate in order to attract more women to CS. Recommendations for Researchers: Future work is required to examine other loci where women are underrepre-sented in CS, as well as how the insights obtained in this study can be utilized to decrease women’s underrepresentation in other loci. Impact on Society: Women's underrepresentation in CS is an important topic for both economic and social justice reasons. It raises questions regarding fairness and equality. In the CS field the gender pay gaps are smaller than in other professional areas. Thus, resolving the underrepresentation of women in CS will serve as a means to decrease the social gender gap in other areas.


Author(s):  
Ruth Mateos de Cabo

Resumen. La persistencia de una brecha de género en los puestos de liderazgo empresarial supone un importante reto socioeconómico, ya que las desigualdades de género en el mercado laboral en general, y en los altos puestos de decisión en particular, no solo sofocan el desarrollo social sino que perjudican el crecimiento económico. Aunque la literatura existente ha ayudado a colocar el problema del reducido número de mujeres líderes en las agendas profesionales y políticas, el conocimiento sobre el tema todavía se encuentra fragmentado y no aborda sistemáticamente las posibles causas de esta en los altos niveles jerárquicos empresariales. Además, los estudios que analizan los instrumentos para promocionar el liderazgo femenino a menudo asumen barreras particulares para las mujeres y no asocian las distintas causas con instrumentos y políticas diferenciadas para luchar contra cada obstáculo. Por ello, el objetivo de esta investigación es arrojar luz de manera sistemática sobre las razones por las cuales existen trabas que impiden la equidad en estos puestos de una manera sistemática, estudiando políticas específicas para promover la carrera profesional de las mujeres. El trabajo concluye analizando la aceleración del progreso en presencia femenina en los consejos en Europa impulsada por la presión política y reguladora en algunos estados miembros de los 28 países de la UE y ofreciendo una serie de propuestas para apoyar la participación de las mujeres en los órganos de administración de las empresas.Palabras clave: mujeres líderes, igualdad, discriminación, gestión de la diversidad, mujeres en consejos.Abstract. The persistence of a gender gap in corporate leadership positions is a major socio-economic challenge, as gender inequalities in the labor market in general, and in high decision-making positions in particular, not only suffocate the social development but hurts economic growth. Although previous research has helped to place the issue of the small number of women in leadership on the agenda for both practitioners and policy makers, knowledge is still fragmented without systematically addressing possible causes of inequality in the highest corporate positions. In addition, the studies examining instruments to promote women’s leadership often assume particular barriers that women face and do not link the different causes of inequality with nuanced policy tools and policies to fight them. Therefore, this research goal is to shed light on the reasons why barriers preventing gender equality at the top corporate levels exists, studying and proposing specific policy measures to promote women careers. The paper concludes analyzing the accelerated progress on women representation on corporate leadership positions driven by political and regulatory pressure in a few Member States of the 28 EU countries and offering a series of suggestions to progress women presence on corporate boards.Keywords: women in leadership, equality, discrimination, diversity management, womenon boards.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
Andrew Enaifoghe

This study explored the role of gender plays and the participation impacts of women on African politics, the religion and socio-cultural factors responsible for the underrepresentation of women through socialization in Africa. Obviously, past research has demonstrated that fundamentalist religious beliefs and affiliations are related to preservationist gender demeanours or attitude. This idea not only impacts gender gaps in political participation in cross-national examinations by belligerence that women's portrayal ought to be measured in an unexpected way or differently. Utilizing Fundamentalism and Modernization Theories, this paper shows that long haul impacts of women's representation are more indispensable than short-term measures in understanding gender gap in a mixture of political exercises. The timeframe since women have accessed the political framework discloses the gender gap to a more noteworthy degree than the presence of women in the governing body and cabinet at one point in time. Findings demonstrate that the suppositions of earlier work on women representation and political conduct or attitude may stretch out beyond Africa it also finds that gender grouping has in many ways impacted the low participation of women in African political system through socialization. At last, this study shows that the kind of political exercises matter and the implementation of policies that encourage give women level play ground to participate in politics while breaking down the impact of gender socialization as of the factors for women's representation in legislative issues crosswise over Africa. A qualitative approach was used in this study alongside with empirical investigation.


Author(s):  
Julia Yates ◽  
Anke C. Plagnol

AbstractThe under-representation of w omen in computer science education courses is well documented, and the social and commercial need to address this is widely recognised. Previous literature offers some explanation for this gender imbalance, but there has been limited qualitative data to provide an in-depth understanding of existing quantitative findings. This study explores the lived experiences of female computer science students and how they experience the male dominated learning environment. Female computer science students from eight universities were interviewed (n = 23) and data were analysed using template analysis. Whilst these women have not been troubled by their sense of fit at university, a combination of stereotypical assumptions of male superiority in this field, and a masculine, agentic learning environment, has left them feeling less technologically capable and less motivated. The findings are discussed in terms of Cheryan et al.’s tripartite model for women’s participation in STEM (2017) and we recommend that computer science departments should consider feminist pedagogy to ensure that all learners can be well supported.


Author(s):  
Laura L. Fuhrmann ◽  
Andrea M. Wallace

Recognizing the persistent problem of the underrepresentation of women in computer science, this chapter examines the barriers existing in the kindergarten through Grade 12 educational environment. It explores the vicious cycle that exists in the education field, as the change agents are predominantly women. Much of the research from the past decade reiterates the issue but substantive changes to reduce the gender gap have not occurred at rates that keep pace with the evolving digital society. This chapter offers practical solutions to (1) distinguish between computer science, instructional technology, and digital literacy in the K-12 educational setting; (2) propose ways to promote opportunities in these environments, for all students, with a focus on the underrepresented female population; (3) formulate strategies for educational leaders to incorporate computer science knowledge including computational thinking skills into teacher preparation programs and professional development to support those never exposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 140-156
Author(s):  
Alexander Vasyaev ◽  
Viktor Shestak

The article subject is cyberbullying and cybermobbing. The emphasis is placed on the legal practice of combating cyberbullying and cybermobbing issues in developing countries, since these phenomena are still insufficiently studied. The developing countries legislation is compared with doctrinal and practical developments in the fight against the studied problem in developed countries of the West and former USSR. Experiment was conducted to determine the methods effectiveness to combat cyberbullying using the social networks built-in extensions. 40 random accounts were taken in equal parts related to "male" and "female" representatives, from 18 to 30 years old. The article indicates cyber-mobbing and cyberbullying concepts and their varieties, existing in modern world. The study examines statistical data, programs and measures of different states in fight against cyberbullying and cyber-mobbing. Experiments results showed that Instagram users are aware of the built-in extensions availability of the social network to protect against cyberbullying and use them relatively frequently. With that, female segment of Instagram users is more concerned about comments content under their photos than the male one. Measures have been developed to prevent and counteract cyberbullying and cybermobbing, introduction of which into the states policies might help in the fight against these social phenomena.


2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J. Sax ◽  
Kathleen J. Lehman ◽  
Jerry A. Jacobs ◽  
M. Allison Kanny ◽  
Gloria Lim ◽  
...  

JIPSINDO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-85
Author(s):  
Sudrajat Sudrajat ◽  
Nugraheni Catur Puntaswari ◽  
Yunike Sulistyosari ◽  
Dwi Sri Astuti

Ilmu sosial di negara berkembang (salah satunya Indonesia) masih mengguna-kan paradigma ilmu sosial di Barat (Eropa) sehingga dalam beberapa kasus menjadi tidak relevan ketika digunakan untuk memecahkan masalah sosial. Penelitian menggunakan metode kajian pustaka yaitu sebuah pencarian kebenaran secara otoritatif melalui pendapat dan kajian ahli yang dituliskan dalam buku dan referensi. Hasil kajian menemukan bahwa perkembangan ilmu sosial di Indonesia memang tidak dapat dilepaskan dari dunia Barat. Pribumisasi merupakan wacana untuk menumbuhkan pemikiran baru dalam ilmu-ilmu sosial di Indonesia agar lebih kontekstual. Beberapa tokoh menawarkan teori sosial alternatif yang mengkedepankan pribumisasi ilmu sosial yaitu: Kuntowoyo, Sartono Kartodirjo, Mubyarto, Purwa Santoso, dan Zamroni. Upaya pribumisasi harus ditindaklanjuti dengan mengajarkan ilmu sosial alternatif dalam berbagai jenjang pendidikan. Pembaruan IPS Terpadu dengan pembelajaran alternatif menjadi upaya yang efektif untuk membumikan ilmu sosial yang khas Indonesia.INDIGENIZATION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND RENEWING OF INTEGRATED SOCIAL SCIENCES LEARNING Social science in developing countries (one of which is Indonesia) still uses the social science paradigm in the West (Europe) so that in some cases it becomes irrelevant when it is used to solve social problems. The research used the literature review method, which is an authoritative search for truth through expert opinions and studies written in books and references. The results of the study found that the development of social science in Indonesia cannot be separated from the Western world. Privatization is a discourse to foster new thinking in the social sciences in Indonesia to make it more contextual. Several figures offered alternative social theories that prioritized the indigenization of social science, namely: Kuntowoyo, Sartono Kartodirjo, Mubyarto, Purwa Santoso, and Zamroni. Indigenousization efforts must be followed up by teaching alternative social sciences at various levels of education. Integrated IPS reform with alternative learning is an effective effort to ground social science that is unique to Indonesia.


2015 ◽  
pp. 30-53
Author(s):  
V. Popov

This paper examines the trajectory of growth in the Global South. Before the 1500s all countries were roughly at the same level of development, but from the 1500s Western countries started to grow faster than the rest of the world and PPP GDP per capita by 1950 in the US, the richest Western nation, was nearly 5 times higher than the world average and 2 times higher than in Western Europe. Since 1950 this ratio stabilized - not only Western Europe and Japan improved their relative standing in per capita income versus the US, but also East Asia, South Asia and some developing countries in other regions started to bridge the gap with the West. After nearly half of the millennium of growing economic divergence, the world seems to have entered the era of convergence. The factors behind these trends are analyzed; implications for the future and possible scenarios are considered.


This book examines the way schizophrenia is shaped by its social context: how life is lived with this madness in different settings, and what it is about those settings that alters the course of the illness, its outcome, and even the structure of its symptoms. Until recently, schizophrenia was perhaps our best example—our poster child—for the “bio-bio-bio” model of psychiatric illness: genetic cause, brain alteration, pharmacologic treatment. We now have direct epidemiological evidence that people are more likely to fall ill with schizophrenia in some social settings than in others, and more likely to recover in some social settings than in others. Something about the social world gets under the skin. This book presents twelve case studies written by psychiatric anthropologists that help to illustrate some of the variability in the social experience of schizophrenia and that illustrate the main hypotheses about the different experience of schizophrenia in the west and outside the west--and in particular, why schizophrenia seems to have a more benign course and outcome in India. We argue that above all it is the experience of “social defeat” that increases the risk and burden of schizophrenia, and that opportunities for social defeat are more abundant in the modern west. There is a new role for anthropology in the science of schizophrenia. Psychiatric science has learned—epidemiologically, empirically, quantitatively—that our social world makes a difference. But the highly structured, specific-variable analytic methods of standard psychiatric science cannot tell us what it is about culture that has that impact. The careful observation enabled by rich ethnography allows us to see in more detail what kinds of social and cultural features may make a difference to a life lived with schizophrenia. And if we understand culture’s impact more deeply, we believe that we may improve the way we reach out to help those who struggle with our most troubling madness.


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