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Computer Science and Girls

Women were originally computer programmers during WWII, but as computing became electronic, it shifted to a male-dominated field. There are several reasons for the disparity, including social role theory suggesting women are viewed as caretakers rather than in technical fields, lack of female role models, and men making women uncomfortable in technical workplaces. Strategies to improve equitable access include exposing girls to computer science opportunities at a young age through camps and classes to build interest and limit stereotypes.

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103 views2 pages

Computer Science and Girls

Women were originally computer programmers during WWII, but as computing became electronic, it shifted to a male-dominated field. There are several reasons for the disparity, including social role theory suggesting women are viewed as caretakers rather than in technical fields, lack of female role models, and men making women uncomfortable in technical workplaces. Strategies to improve equitable access include exposing girls to computer science opportunities at a young age through camps and classes to build interest and limit stereotypes.

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Computer Science and Girls

Before the development of electronic computing, women were the original programmers.
During World War II, women were known as computers and their role in computing programs
was a key to breaking the code of other countries during the war. As computing became more
electronic, women’s roles shifted and men took over programming (Vardi, 2018). This paper will
examine reasons why girls no longer dominate in the field of computer science and attempt to
seek strategies for more equitable access.

Girls’ Access to Computer Science Education

Findings show that girls and boys have equal access to computer science education
courses. However when one looks at the number of women employed in computer science fields,
the number drops to only 26% of women in the year 2012 working in this field. Even more
startling is the number has been declining since the 1980’s (Google, 2014). The state I live in,
Georgia, has adopted a computer science plan and allocated funding but has yet to develop
standards or require a CS class in all high schools. Currently in Georgia, even though both
genders have equal access to CS classes, only 19% of high school graduates were female
(Code.org, 2019). Until educational leaders realize the importance of computational thinking and
provide funding and additional classes, we will continue to see this disparity.

Causes of Disparities
There are several reasons why males tend to dominate the computer science field. First,
the role of men and women’s behaviors are explained through the social role theory. The roles
and behaviors of both genders historically are based on the needs of society. While these roles
may be flexible, they also tend to be limited to attributes of each gender. Using the social role
theory and looking at women's historical roles, they have traditionally been considered to be
nurturers and caretakers. These attributes are seen in their choice of careers: stay-at-home moms,
teachers, and nurses. Women who choose these traditionally female careers receive positive
responses which makes it easier to stay in a traditional female role, rather than branching out
(Eagly & Wood, 2016)
The second reason males tend to dominate the field is seen when computing became
electronic. The number of computer programmers shifted to mostly men and the computer field
became more of a men’s club. The men in charge of hiring tended to make women feel
uncomfortable. If a woman happened to obtain a job she was made to feel both uncomfortable
and unwelcome, thus causing her to not stay in the technology field (Vardi, 2018).
Finally, a main reason girls choose not to pursue this field is the lack of female role
models. It is difficult for children to imagine working in a particular field when they do not see
similar (women) in teaching positions, television shows, or movies.

Strategies for More Equitable Access


There is not a noticeable gender difference for access to computer science courses. The
main issue is making girls more aware and interested in taking these courses. Some of the
strategies suggested include exposing girls to computer science learning opportunities, building
awareness and confidence, and limiting bias and stereotypes. Other suggestions include career
opportunities and examples of women working in CS fields (Google & Gallup, 2016). An
example of exposing girls at a younger age to CS opportunities is through the creation of an App
Inventor summer camp exclusively for middle school girls. The girls at this camp became
interested in coding and learned quickly. By targeting girls who might not have had an
opportunity to learn about CS, the camp organizers have opened doors for them to pursue
(Martin & Soares, 2016).

Personal Response
Fortunately my classes are taught in a computer lab. In the past I have had my students
participate in the “Hour of Code”. However, learning from this course will enable me to bring
more coding experiences to my students. The other business teacher at my school teaches digital
design and has commented many times about the lack of females in his classes. His class has
created a video highlighting his course that will be shown to rising 9th graders. The elementary
schools in my district have started integrating STEM activities into their schools and my school
district is starting a Computer Science magnet program beginning in the 2020 school year. I
believe that for this program to be successful we will need to reach the younger students.
On a more personal level, I have two early elementary granddaughters that are interested in
coding activities. I plan on helping them learn basic coding this summer.
References
Code.org (2019). CS advocacy site. Retrieved from https://advocacy.code.org/
Eagly, A.H., & Wood, W. (2016). Social role theory of sex differences. In N.A. Naples, R.C.
Hoogland, M. Wickramasinghe, and W.C.A. Wong (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell
encyclopedia of gender and sexuality studies (pp. 2254-2257). Chichester, UK: John
Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Google. (2014). Women who choose computer science: What really matters. [White paper]
Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-
E2rcvhnlQ_a1Q4VUxWQ2dtTHM/edit
Google, & Gallup (2016). CS learning: Closing the gap: Girls. Retrieved
fromhttps://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/computer-science-learning-closing-the-gap-
girls-brief.pdf
Google, & Gallup (2016). Diversity gaps in computer science: Exploring the underrepresentation
of girls, blacks and hispanics (pp. 4-6). Retrieved
fromhttps://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/diversity-gaps-in-computer-science-
report.pdf
Martin, N.L., Soares, A. (2016). Organizing an App Inventor summer camp for middle school
girls: What the experts don’t tell you. Information Systems Education Journal, 14(5), pp.
80-90.
Vardi, M.Y. (2018). How we lost the women in computing. Communications of the ACM, 61(5),
p. 9.

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