Black Women Speak: Examining Power, Privilege, and Identity in CS Education

Despite the increasing number of women receiving bachelor’s degrees in computing (i.e., Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, etc.), a closer look reveals that the percentage of Black women in computing has significantly dropped in recent years, highlighting the underrepresentation of Black women and its negative impact on broadening participation in the field of computing. The literature reveals that several K-16 interventions have been designed to increase the representation of Black women and girls in computing. Despite these best efforts, the needle seems to have barely moved in increasing the representation or the retention of Black women in computing. Instead, the primary goals have been to recruit and retain women in the CS pipeline using gender-focused efforts intended to increase the number of women who also identify as members of racialized groups. However, these gender-focused efforts have fallen short of increasing the number of Black women in computing because they fail to acknowledge or appreciate how intersectionality (the overlapping social constructs of gender, race, ethnicity, class, etc.) has shaped the lived experiences of Black women navigating the computing pipeline. Without honest dialogue about how power operates in the field of computing, the push for racial equality and social justice in CS education remains an elusive goal. Leveraging intersectionality as a critical framework to address systemic oppression (i.e., racism, gender discrimination, power, and privilege), we interview 24 Black women in different phases of the computing pipeline about their experiences navigating the field of computing. An intersectional analysis of Black women’s experiences reveals that CS education consists of saturated sites of violence in which interconnected systems of power converge to enact oppression. Findings reveal three primary saturated sites of violence within CS education: (1) traditional K-12 classrooms; (2) predominantly White institutions; and (3) internships as supplementary learning experiences. We conclude the article with implications for how the field of CS education can begin to address racial inequality that negatively impacts Black girls and women, thus contributing to a more equitable and socially just field of study that benefits all students.

Lovelace Colloquium 2021

The 14th BCS Women Lovelace Colloquium for undergraduate and MSc women in computing was hosted by the University of Lancaster and was held online. Dr Safia Barikzai, Associate Professor at London South Bank University, describes the day.

Promoção da equidade de gênero por meio de ações extensionistas das Meninas Digitais no Cerrado em tempos de Pandemia

The gender gap in the fields of science and technology is notorious. In Brazil, only 20% of information technology professionals are women, which highlights the necessity of activities to mitigate this instability and promote equity. With the pandemic, it was necessary for the project Meninas Digitais no Cerrado to readapt and plan new strategies to continue attracting girls and women to the area, thus changing mainly to exclusively non-presential actions, maintaining social distance. Thus, this work reports the female empowerment activities carried out in the Goias. The results of the virtual activities have shown to be of great impact, since the events are reaching participants from almost all Brazilian states, increasing the number of female participation in stimulation actions in favor of more women in computing and creating greater engagement among partner projects.

Obstacles to Women in Computing: Re-Examining the Literature in 2020

This report examines the ongoing gender divide in computing and, in particular, the determinants and distractors that influence women's decisions to study and pursue careers in technology.Numerous research studies have explored this divide in the past, and many of the findings are routinely cited in the literature.However, most of this research was conducted some years ago.Technology is a field that changes rapidly, and societal understanding and embracement of computers and technology have also evolved.This paper reports on a longitudinal study that seeks to measure changes in perceptions over time and determine whether or not prior barriers are as impactful as they might have been.