Recruitment and retention of women in the computing sciences: Tackling the underlying problems

Abstract

This paper explores the issues surrounding recruitment and retention of women in computer science and software engineering. It examines why so few women enter computing sciences, why so many women leave computing sciences, and what can be done to improve the situation? This paper explores the social barriers and stereotypes that bias girls and women from entering the computing sciences as well as biases in the educational system that contribute to the problem. This paper will give a current overview of gender related issues in the computing sciences, as well as examine social factors that may affect the deficiency. Specific techniques that have proven effective in changing the recruitment and retention of women in computer science in the last decade will be presented. The latest research in the role that culture plays in gender diversity in computing will also be examined and the idea that cultural influences rather than gender differences account for the differences in female participation in computing related fields will be explored. Finally, it will examine historical data at my university and try to identify what elements may have contributed to the fact that our programs exceed the national average of women students in computing sciences. The findings show that while our graduate programs have more females than the national average, this is probably attributable more to our high numbers of international female graduate students than to our "female friendly" environment. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.