Gender and Computing
The tech industry is male dominated, however, this has not always been the case. In the 1960’s, the computational workforce was dominated by women, and it wasn’t until the 1970’s that the number started to drop. Today we see that a mere 18 percent of computer science graduates are female. Through this medium post we will look at a couple of studies that are answering whether male domination is the product of nature or nurture. We will also identify the barriers that create such a large gender gap between men and women in the tech industry. Lastly, we will explore ways to combat the gender gap and what different sectors in society can do to help.
Gender Differences in the Use of Computer Articles
Gender difference contributes to the gender gap in the field of computer science and S.T.E.M (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in general. In Ehrlinger’s research, 269 college undergraduate students in the U.S. were asked to describe their perceptions of prototypical computer scientist and engineers with sets of traits, then rate themselves on the same sets of traits (Ehrlinger et. al, 2018). Ehrlinger found that female students’ perception of characteristics of computer scientists and engineers are more aligned with the stereotypes, and they also rated themselves as less similar to these prototypes. This finding suggests that not only gender stereotypes, but also stereotypes regarding S.T.E.M field play an important role in the gender gap in computer science. In pop culture, the negative portrayals of people in the S.T.E.M field are unbelievably tolerated. In fact, people love characters that reinforce negative S.T.E.M stereotypes. One of the examples would be Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory, who is famous for his high IQ of 187 but his nerdiness and awkwardness. As an audience, people think of him as funny, but no one would truly want to be like him. Thus, more positive role models, like the three brilliant African-American women in Hidden Figures, are needed in pop culture, and also in real life, to beat gender stereotypes and S.T.E.M stereotypes.
Gender difference not only exists in individuals’ perceptions of characteristics of prototypical computer scientists and engineers, but also exists in individuals’ perception of computer science in general. In Stoilescu and Egodawatte’s study, they focused on college students who are already in the computer science program, and explored their personal interests and their understanding of computer science culture. The results reveal that female students are more interested in the application and use of computer, like web design and database, while male students are more interested in programming itself, which they see as what computer science really is about. This finding suggests that computer science programs in school could balance contents related to programming and applications of computers so that more female students might consider joining.
Perceptions of Gender and Computer Science among Malaysian Women
What is the gender gap in computer science like in other countries besides the United States, and do we see the same correlation between men and women in this field? According to Lagesen, 52% of the bachelor’s students in computer science was made up of females at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, as well as 65% of the information technology department (2008). Compared to the gender gap between males and females in computing at universities in the United States, these numbers are massive, and show that it is not always the case that computer science is always a generally masculine subject area. Thus, we must investigate the cultural and societal differences of these two countries before we can look for solutions to the low participation of women in computer science fields in the United States, both in universities and in the workforce. This will allow us to identify which solutions are suitable to adapt into our own society (Galpin, 2002).
Big Question?
What is Malaysia doing differently, and which solutions could be useful in order to decrease the gender gap in computer science in our own society?
First and foremost, while computer science can generally be seen as a masculine career field in western societies due to the stereotypical male “nerd” trope and targeted advertising, it is often-times seen as feminine in Malaysia (Lagesen, 2008). There is a lack of stereotypical masculine references in computer science, with no “hacker” mythology (Lagesen, 2008). In addition, career fields that are usually situated indoors are seen as feminine while ones that are masculine usually require outdoor work and are more exposed, thus more dangerous. Since computer science is mostly (if not all of the time) indoors in an office, it is more situated towards women as well as chemical engineering, while engineering professions such as civil engineering were promoted more to males (Lagesen, 2008). Since the field is seen as more feminine, Malaysia was also observed to have a higher number of female role models for younger girls interested in computer science, especially in higher positions of authority (Lagesen, 2008).
Another difference between western society and Malaysia, according to Lagesen, is the government efforts to redistribute women into the workforce (2008). After previous educational disadvantages for women in Malaysia, the government began state-sponsored efforts to push women into mass education and the industry, specifically towards computer science (Lagesen, 2008). This support did not stop there; it was also seen that a high number of young girls in Malaysia received large amounts of support from their families (typically their fathers) to join the computer science field (Lagesen, 2008). This could also stem towards the ideologies that computer science career paths typically result in higher-paying jobs. Thus, women combat their obligation to provide for younger siblings and retired parents by working in a field that will support them financially with a secure, but flexible job, such as one in computer science (Lagesen, 2008).
Reflecting on these differences between western culture and the culture in Malaysia relating to that of the representation of computer science, are there any solutions that we can adapt in order to increase the amount of female participation in the United States?
Identifying Barriers
We know that there is the gender gap within the tech field, we want to determine what causes this gap in society? We looked National Center for Women and Information Technology to come up with how our society could be increasing the gender gap. Through our study we determined that some of the barriers include formal and informal education, and the misconception that youth has with computing careers. This has caused irrelevant curriculums, minimal computer classes in primary and secondary schools, and reliance on lecturing instead of hands-on activities.
One’s family, community and role models also influence their interest and continuation into tech fields. In one survey of 937 women currently working in computing occupations (Liston, et al., 2008), 38% of the women had fathers who worked in a STEM field and 10% had mothers who did. Barron (2004) found that 75% of girls reported having a parent or family member in the computing field as a reason for choosing to take a programming course; only 29% of the boys chose this as a reason for taking the course. There is also a huge lack of role models for young girls interested in a computing career. Since there is a past history of males dominating the field that women in the forefront are often looked past, creating this lack of a role model.
Peer influences can have a positive or negative effect on youths participation in tech. Misperceptions and stereotypes hinder society and create a masculine shield around computing careers. This is reinforced by media and popular culture. The lack of women in computing seen in media is also a cause, due to the lack of females in media and popular culture this decreases the possible role models a young girl has to individuals who are close to them. Along with the decrease of role models, media also portrays individuals in the tech field in a negative light, this can be seen with Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, where he is nerdy and not someone people want to be in society. With the reaffirmations from media that people in computing and manly and nerdy and someone undesired in society this creates a lack of motivation for girls to get into computers in the first place.
Another reason young girls lack the interest of computers is the marketing techniques that companies used. When computers first hit the market they were targeted as toys for young boys and men. Due to this marketing technique families we less likely to purchase computers for their young girls and young girls were less likely to ask for them.
Conclusion
Through all of these factors there is becoming a wider and wider gender gap in the computing field, with less women joining the force and more women leaving the force, what are some ways to keep young girls and women interested in the tech field?
Some solutions include combating all of the many barriers listed above, having more relevant computer courses earlier on, having more role models for young girls to look up to, combating the stigma around masculinity and computing, combating the stereotypes and creating marketing techniques to target young girls as well. Along with this, there are things at every level of the pyramid that can be done, such as talking with young girls to make them aware of the stigma around computing, for families to start their young girls out with computers at a young age, for the government to urge more females into computing, praise young girls for their achievements, and many more.
Where to go from here?
We looked merely at what affects young girls and their perceptions and affiliations with computing. With future research it would be beneficial to look at socio-economic and community factors that also play a role in one’s path. While this was specifically looking at gender, something to consider is how sexuality shapes one’s perceptions and interactions around computing. In looking deeper into these it will bring better innovations that will benefit women and society.
