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Countering the Negative Image of Women in Computing

By Fay Cobb Payton, Eleni Berki
Communications of the ACM, May 2019, Vol. 62 No. 5, Pages 56-63
10.1145/3319422
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women in office setting — Credit: Jacob Lund

Despite increased knowledge about gender (in) equality,^7,27,38 women in STEM disciplines are still portrayed in stereotypical ways in the popular media. We have reviewed academic research, along with mainstream media quotes and images for depictions of women in STEM and women in computing/IT. We found their personality and identity formation continues to be influenced by the personas and stereotypes associated with role images seen in the media. This, in turn, can affect women's underrepresentation and career participation, as well as prospects for advancement in computing fields.

Key Insights

The computer science Degree Hub¹⁵ in 2014 published its list of the 30 most influential, living computer scientists, weighing leadership, applicability, awards, and recognition as selection criteria. The list included only one female, Sophie Wilson, a British computer scientist best known for designing the Acorn Micro-Computer, the first computer sold by Acorn Computers Ltd. in 1978. A fellow elected to the prestigious Royal Society, Wilson is today the Director of IC Design at Broadcom Inc. in Cambridge, U.K., listed as number 30 of the 30 on the list.

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