computing women
Computing Women - This morning, our local NPR station carried a story about the lack of women in computing. Two authors of the book Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing were on, as were two female computer professionals. The thing I found most interesting was the apparent disconnect between the book’s authors (both academics) and the women who worked in the industry (both on the panel and calling in). One of the book authors talked about how computing needed to be presented to women as a “socially responsible” and “nurturing” career path. The callers seemed to dispute the low numbers of women in computing that the authors implied, suggesting that perhaps college enrollment in IT programs is not necessarily a good predictor of the demographics who actually enter the industry (nobody disputes that enrollment of females in CS degree programs is low). A number of callers said that they found opportunities for advancement to be good, and the pay attractive for women compared to other fields. And in fact, a recent IEEE survey seems to show that women in the highest-paying computer jobs may actually make more money than men.
One strange angle was the idea that women stay away from computers because the culture seems unappealing. Presumably, computer culture is a glorification of geeky, nerdy young men with attitudes, and girls don’t want to be around nerds. I think this argument is flawed, though, and could easily be reversed. For example, what about the guy who thinks twice about going to an engineering college when he discovers it has a male:female ratio of 7:1? What law of nature says that girls are the only ones who make schooling decisions based on cultural and social considerations? I have to admit, though, it is strange that so few women pursue computer science degrees. What gives?