Communications of the ACM
I Am Woman, Watch Me Hack
Credit: The New York Times
The ranks of women in computer science are low and dwindling, and many industry observers blame the field's gender disparity on a public image problem. Although women represented 29 percent of bachelor's degrees in computer and information sciences in 1990-91, the figure dropped to 18 percent 20 years later. Currently, only 0.4 percent of female college freshmen say they plan to major in computer science, and women account for just a quarter of all Americans in computer-related occupations.
Many young people do not encounter computer scientists in their daily lives and do not understand the field. Many observers believe that TV shows such as "CSI" and "Bones," which feature women in forensics as leading characters, have helped turn forensic science into a primarily female field in recent years. Few characters in computer science or engineering occupations appear in today's family films, children's shows, and prime-time programs, and among those that do, the ratio of men to women is 14.25 to 1 in family films and 5.4 to 1 in prime time, according to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
The U.S. Department of Labor projects 1.4 million computer-related job openings this decade, and experts say the women of tomorrow could help fill these jobs domestically while earning high salaries in flexible positions.
From The New York Times
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