Acknowledgemen
This publica ion is based upon wo k om COST Ac ion EUGAIN CA19122 (Eu opean Ne wo k Fo
Gende Balance in In o ma ics), suppo ed by COST (Eu opean Coope a ion in Science and Technology).
www.cos .eu
EUGAIN ea u es mo e han 160 membe s om o e 45 coun ies, including 5
non-Eu opean ones. I s main aim is o imp o e gende balance in In o ma ics
h ough he c ea ion and s eng hening o a uly mul i-cul u al Eu opean
ne wo k o academics wo king a he o e on o he e o s in hei coun ies,
ins i u ions and esea ch communi ies. I builds on hei knowledge, expe iences,
s uggles, successes, and ailu es, lea ning and sha ing wha has wo ked and how
i could be ans e ed o o he ins i u ions and coun ies.
In o ma ics Eu ope, he G an Holde ins i u ion o EUGAIN COST Ac ion,
uni es and empowe s he Educa ion & Resea ch In o ma ics communi y ac oss
Eu ope. I connec s o e 50,000 esea che s om 200+ membe ins i u ions
spanning 30+ coun ies. The o ganisa ion ad oca es o sha ed p io i ies and
suppo s policy making in Educa ion, Resea ch and he Social Impac o
in o ma ics in Eu ope. EUGAIN builds upon he g oundwo k laid by he
In o ma ics Eu ope Women in In o ma ics Resea ch and Educa ion (WIRE)
Wo king G oup, which has since e ol ed in o he Di e si y & Inclusion Wo king
G oup. Mo e in o ma ion: www.in o ma ics-eu ope.o g
COST (Eu opean Coope a ion in Science and Technology) is a unding agency o esea ch and inno a ion
ne wo ks. Ou Ac ions help connec esea ch ini ia i es ac oss Eu ope and enable scien is s o g ow hei
ideas by sha ing hem wi h hei pee s. This boos s hei esea ch, ca ee and inno a ion.
Au ho s
•Angela Nebo
Uni e si a Poli ecnica de Ca alunya, Spain
•Anna Szl´
a i
No wegian Uni e si y o Science and Technology, No way
•Ch is S a
Sou h Eas Technological Uni e si y, Ca low, I eland
•Elio By yci
Uni e si y o P ish ina, Koso o
•Eylem E kan is¸le
Ba¸sken Uni e si y, T¨u kiye
•Kai Ma qua d
Ka ls uhe Ins i u e o Technology, Ge many
•Kea a Ba e
Sou h Eas Technological Uni e si y, Ca low, I eland
•Lucia Happe
Ka ls uhe Ins i u e o Technology, Ge many
•Monica Landoni
Uni e si `a della S izze a i aliana, Swi ze land
•No a Pi eci Sejdiu
S . Klimen Oh idski Uni e si y, No h Macedonia
•¨
Ozge Mısı lı
Eskisehi Osmangazi Uni e si y, T¨u kiye
•Rukiye Al ın
Ch is ian-Alb ech Uni e si y o Kiel, Ge many
•Zeynep S¸ahin Tima
Ka adeniz Technical Uni e si y, T¨u kiye
Con en s
In oduc ion 1
How can we a ac mo e gi ls o In o ma ics: p oblems and s a egies 3
Bes p ac ices in p ima y school cu iculum o encou age emale s uden s: in
class and a e school ac i i ies 9
Rec ui ing emale s uden s 15
Re aining i s -yea bachelo emale s uden s 18
Conclusion 23
In oduc ion
Da a on gende dis ibu ion in educa ion, employmen , and ca ee shows ha In o ma ics is
a male-domina ed sec o . Al hough echnology is simila ly a ailable o adul s and child en o
all gende s, women emain unde - ep esen ed in bo h academia and indus y ca ee s ela ed
o In o ma ics. The di e en oles ha amilies and socie ies impose on indi iduals based on
gende may be conside ed he p ima y eason o he unde - ep esen a ion o women in he
ield o In o ma ics. The ongoing ep esen a ion o women in In o ma ics is unsa is ac o y,
pa icula ly in ensu ing he ealisa ion o gende ed inno a ions ha add ess he needs o all
ci izens. The low pe cen age o emale employees wo king in he echnical depa men s o
he la ges echnology companies, o example, eBay, Twi e , and Google can be one o he
indica o s o how hey a e ep esen ed in he ield. Fo example, acco ding o he S a is a epo ,
58% o he employees in he echnology depa men o e-Bay a e male (Gelde 2023; Dixon 2024;
Bianchi 2023). Simila numbe s o Twi e and Google a e 67.1% and 75%, espec i ely. These
gende a ios show ha , despi e he a ailabili y o ools and echnology ha amilies p o ide
o hei kids and/o he equal possibili ies p o ided o pupils in schools, his scena io has no
been mi o ed in women’s jobs.
Families’ beha iou s, a i udes, and pe spec i es on gende s e eo ypes a e c ucial indica o s
o hei child en’s pa icipa ion in any ac i i y (Simpkins, Da is-Kean, and Eccles 2005; Veki i
and Ch onaki 2008). I is possible o say ha he di e en suppo o a i udes o amilies
be ween gende s will ha e an e ec i e impac on hei child en’s educa ion and e en hei
ca ee s. E en hough he inancial oppo uni ies o e ed o child en o di e en gende s a e he
same, and echnology is simila ly a ailable o adul s and child en o all gende s, s ill (Eccles
2015) s a es ha pa en s spend mo e ime wi h hei sons han wi h hei daugh e s engaging
in echnology- ela ed si ua ions.
The i s ba ie encoun e ed by gi ls on hei way o en e ing he wo ld o In o ma ics
is a he school le el. Acco ding o he li e a u e, emale s uden s equen ly assume hey
a e no good enough and a e less expe ienced han hei male coun e pa s. The e o e, hey
dis ega d In o ma ics as no being appealing o hem. This nega i e a i ude is a consequence
o en enched gende s e eo yping in socie y and amily whe e In o ma ics is conside ed a male
discipline.
We a gue ha s a ing o wo k on gi ls’ a i udes owa d echnology and igge ing hei
cu iosi y and passion o In o ma ics om ea ly educa ion is a way o os e changes leading
o a be e gende balance in In o ma ics. The numbe o women in he In o ma ics ield
will inc ease na u ally i emale s uden s in he i s s age o o mal educa ion (p ima y and
seconda y school) a e be e suppo ed and ac i ely encou aged o conside In o ma ics as a
ewa ding and sa is ac o y u u e ca ee . In his bookle , we ha e highligh ed issues, obs acles,
bes p ac ices o a ac ing mo e gi ls o In o ma ics, and ecommenda ions o enlis ing and
keeping emale s uden s o assis in hei e o s o implemen ini ia i es o a ac mo e gi ls
o In o ma ics.
No e: We op ed o a gende -sensi i e bibliog aphy s yle: o inc ease isibili y we
ha e ci ed women and men by including hei i s name in ull.
1
Re e ences
Bianchi, Tiago (2023). Dis ibu ion o Google employees wo ldwide in 2023, by gende and
depa men . Resea ch epo . S a is a. h ps://www.s a is a.com/s a is ics/311805/
google-employee-gende -depa men -global/. Accessed: 2024-03-02.
Dixon, S acy Jo (2024). Twi e : global co po a e demog aphy 2021, by gende and depa men .
Resea ch epo . S a is a. h ps://www.s a is a.com/s a is ics/313567/ wi e -
employee-gende -depa men -global/. Accessed: 2024-03-02.
Eccles, Jacquelynne Sue (July 2015). “Gende ed Socializa ion o STEM In e es s in he Family”.
In: In e na ional Jou nal o Gende , Science and Technology 7.2, pp. 116–132. u l:h ps:
//gende andse .open.ac.uk/index.php/gende andse /a icle/ iew/419.
Gelde , Koen an (2023). eBay: global co po a e demog aphy 2016-2022, by gende . Resea ch
epo . S a is a. h ps ://www .s a is a .com /s a is ics /315057 /ebay - employee-
gende -global/. Accessed: 2024-03-02.
Simpkins, Sand a D., Pamela E. Da is-Kean, and Jacquelynne Sue Eccles (2005). “Pa en s’
Socializing Beha io and Child en’s Pa icipa ion in Ma h, Science, and Compu e Ou -
o -School Ac i i ies”. In: Applied De elopmen al Science 9.1, pp. 14–30. doi:10 . 1207 /
s1532480xads0901 _3.
Veki i, Ioanna and Anna Ch onaki (No . 2008). “Gende issues in echnology use: Pe cei ed
social suppo , compu e sel -e icacy and alue belie s, and compu e use beyond school”.
In: Compu . Educ. 51.3, pp. 1392–1404. issn: 0360-1315. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.
01.003.
2
How can we a ac mo e gi ls o In o ma ics: p oblems and
s a egies
The unde ep esen a ion o women in In o ma ics highe educa ion and, consequen ly, in he
In o ma ics indus y, is la gely ied o p ac ices in p ima y school educa ion. I has been epo ed
ha gende s e eo ypes and social expec a ions s ongly discou age gi ls o conside and pu sue
In o ma ics (Szl´a i and Be n´a 2021; Happe and Buhno a 2022).
Young women’s ba ie s o engagemen in In o ma ics educa ion and ca ee s, howe e , a e
also linked o he class oom (Happe, Buhno a, e al. 2021; Szl´a i 2021). The a i ude o eache s
and classma es, he cu iculum and lea ning en i onmen , insu icien knowledge ega ding he
my iad o jobs a ailable wi hin he IT job ma ke , and wha compe encies such jobs equi e lead
o he c i ically low numbe o gi ls choosing In o ma ics cou ses a uni e si y.
In his sec ion, we in oduce he signi ican easons gi ls do no choose In o ma ics and he
s a egies and sugges ions o emedy his social, educa ional, and economic p oblem.
Majo Reasons Behind The P oblems
Recen s udies and in e iews conduc ed by EUGAIN’s wo king g oup 1 du ing mee -ups wi h
ini ia i es helping gi ls wi h coding, show ha he majo easons can be ca ego ised unde he
headings o s e eo ypes, access, con idence, sense o belonging, and isola ion opics (Happe and
Buhno a 2022):
(a) Access
•The i s hole in he leaky pipeline on gi ls’ pa hway owa ds In o ma ics is linked o
he missing access o encou agemen and suppo , oge he wi h he access o sui able
educa ion ha should build on he many di e en in e es s o gi ls ha o en span
mul iple disciplines.
•Lack o ela able and engaging In o ma ics educa ion: Gi ls ha e less in e es in
In o ma ics because hey s a o use compu e s la e han boys, and hey use hem
gene ally o homewo k, socialising, esea ch, e c. The e o e, boys al eady ha e mo e
expe ience. This makes gi ls s ay behind boys ega ding compu e li e acy.
(b) S e eo ypes
Close amily and iends o en di ec gi ls away om In o ma ics o p o ec hem om a
u u e whe e hey canno imagine he gi ls becoming success ul. This shows how impo an
i is o help amilies, especially mo he s, unde s and ha so wa e enginee ing can be a
g ea ca ee choice o hei daugh e s.
•S e eo ypes held by hemsel es: Gende oles change acco ding o he cul u e. How-
e e , gende oles a e gi en o women by socie y o cul u es, like being a housewi e o
ha ing ewe ac i e oles in business li e o ake be e ca e o he house and child en,
which a ec s women while choosing hei ca ee s.
•S e eo ypes held and communica ed by hei amilies: Families ha e a signi ican
ole in shaping hei child en’s ca ee s. Because o he lack o knowledge, some imes
amilies can hink In o ma ics is a ha d, o e en somehow unsa e, discipline o gi ls
o engage wi h. The e o e, hey a e no suppo i e o an In o ma ics ca ee .
3
•S e eo ypes held and communica ed by hei eache s: Teache s in luence s uden ’s
li es. Because o hei lack o con idence o knowledge, hey can be unsuppo i e o
gi ls in In o ma ics o be mo e suppo i e o male s uden s wi hou being awa e o
i .
•Lack o al e na i es o s e eo ypes in he o m o ela able ole models: When gi ls
can’ see o each ela able ole models as eache s in In o ma ics o success ul p o-
essionals in in o ma ics- ela ed s e eo ypical images and messages can educe gi ls’
sense o belonging.
(c) Con idence
When gi ls ind hemsel es in he class oom, o en su ounded by mo e expe ienced lea n-
e s ( ypically boys), hey eel less con iden . I can be ha d o all in o he ca ego y o a
slow no ice lea ne o li le gi ls who o en excel in o he subjec s. This leads hem o
lea e he s age o boys a compu e labs, cou ses, e c.
(d) Sense o Belonging The gi ls who esis he ea lie h ee challenges con inue hei ed-
uca ion in In o ma ics and ind hemsel es in class ooms su ounded p edominan ly by
boys. This can make hem eel hey don’ belong he e.
Gi ls need o eel sa e in lea ning en i onmen s. I he lea ning en i onmen is no emale-
iendly, o pe cei ed as hos ile o hei way o exp essing hemsel es and achie ing un-
de s anding, hey won’ eel compe en . Isola ion: Isola ion is a symp om o he ela i ely
small numbe o emale s uden s en olled in In o ma ics deg ee p og ammes.
•This can ha e a signi ican nega i e impac on emale s uden s when he e appea o
be ew ole models and pee s (S e enson 2020).
•The la ge numbe s o male s uden s, especially when he u o s and lec u e s a e
also likely o be male, inc ease he likelihood ha lec u es and la ge lab and p ac-
ical sessions a e domina ed by male s uden s, educing he chances o equi able
pa icipa ion by emale s uden s.
•This can be compounded i he s uden coho is u he di ided in o smalle g oups
o a compu e lab and p ac ical sessions when he al eady small emale s uden
popula ion is dispe sed among many di e en g oups o classes.
•When s uden s also lack sel -con idence, hen he chances o becoming isola ed in-
c ease. Inc eased isola ion is in e sely p opo ional o a sense o belonging, and a
sense o belonging is one o he mos signi ican indica o s o s uden p og ession.
S a egies and Sugges ions
Acco ding o he ecen s udies in he li e a u e and he in e iews we conduc ed du ing ou
mee -ups wi h ini ia i es helping gi ls wi h coding, we de ised sugges ions o add ess majo
p oblems by ollowing he s a egies epo ed in (Happe, Buhno a, e al. 2021; Happe and
Buhno a 2022) as de ailed below:
(a) S a egies and sugges ions o access p oblem:
S a egies:
•Digi al gaming and c ea i e a s ac i i ies designed o gi ls (Main and Schimp 2017;
Milam 2012).
•S a wi h online con ex ualised ac i i ies (Ga cia-Penal o e al. 2016; Menon, Rome o,
and Vi´e ille 2020.
4
•Visual p og amming en i onmen s o each in oduc o y p og amming (Menon, Rome o,
and Vi´e ille 2020; Siiman e al. 2014).
•In ol e discussion and e lec ions on he ac i i ies (Ga cia-Penal o e al. 2016).
Sugges ions:
•Ea ly con ac wi h compu e s o compu ing: P o iding ea ly con ac (s a ing om
a leas kinde ga en) h ough isual p og amming en i onmen s o each in oduc-
o y p og amming o game-based ac i i ies helps engage gi ls.
(b) S a egies and sugges ions o he s e eo ypes p oblem:
S a egies:
•P o ide gi ls wi h non-s e eo ypical examples o aspi e o by showing hem success ul
and ela able emale ole models in In o ma ics (Bos on and Cimpian 2018; Nash
2017).
•Po ay wo k in compu ing as help ul, al uis ic, and communi y-o ien ed (Bos on
and Cimpian 2018).
•P o ide oppo uni ies o do In o ma ics ac i i ies as pa o a g oup (Bos on and
Cimpian 2018; B o man and Mensah 2008; Nash 2017).
•Include physical eminde s o women’s success in In o ma ics (Bos on and Cimpian
2018).
•Educa e eache s by p o iding hem wi h ools and app oaches o be e engage gi ls
(B o man and Mensah 2008; C ick 2017; Nash 2017).
Sugges ions:
•Suppo i e amilies: Families should be in o med abou educa ion in In o ma ics,
made awa e o he oppo uni ies i b ings, and eassu ed i is open o all gende s.
Since amilies o en unin en ionally p omo e s e eo ypical iews abou In o ma ics
(e.g. In o ma ics is jus o boys), i is ad isable o plan educa ional e en s o inc ease
hei awa eness. Pa en s can be encou aged o ake hei daugh e s o e en s and
excu sions, and sha e wi h hem s o ies and ole models om he his o y o compu ing
o suppo child en in hei awa eness o nega i e gende s e eo ypes.
•Encou aging eache s: Toge he wi h ac i ely suppo ing he gi ls in hei classes, by
gi ing hem mo e a en ion and ewa ding hei mul idisciplina y in e es s, eache s
could use ools ha ha e been de eloped and s udied o suppo child en in hei
awa eness o nega i e gende s e eo ypes.
•App oachable and ela able ole models: Role models should be app oachable and
ela able o gi ls. They could be uni e si y s uden s o women en ep eneu s.
(c) S a egies and sugges ions o access p oblem:
S a egies:
•P o ide low-s akes oppo uni ies o gi ls o expe ience success (Bos on and Cimpian
2018; Nash 2017).
•Ins all as a g ow h mindse he belie ha abili ies can be imp o ed wi h e o ,
s a egies, and men o ing (Bos on and Cimpian 2018).
•Adop a posi i e, cons uc i e a i ude owa d ailu e as a aluable lea ning oppo -
uni y (Bos on and Cimpian 2018).
5
– A e School:
∗FRC: FIRST Robo ics Compe i ions can be held.
∗WRO: The Wo ld Robo Olympiad can be held.
∗Science ai pe e m is o ganised o acili a e inc eased in e ne usage and ech-
nologies.
∗A e school club cu iculum on coding is c ea ed o a ac a en ion o he
wo ld o coding.
∗Summe school/camp is o ganised o expand he exposu e o he ICT wo ld o
young lea ne s.
∗P omo e a e -school ac i i ies o pa en s and explain why de eloping skills o
In o ma ics is so impo an o hei child en’s u u e.
12
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nical Symposium on Compu e Science Educa ion. SIGCSE ’17. Sea le, Washing on, USA:
Associa ion o Compu ing Machine y, pp. 615–620. isbn: 9781450346986. doi:10.1145/
3017680.3017734.
Wang, Jenni e , Hai Hong, Jason Ra i z, and Sepeh Hejazi Moghadam (2016). “Landscape o
K-12 Compu e Science Educa ion in he U.S.: Pe cep ions, Access, and Ba ie s”. In: P o-
ceedings o he 47 h ACM Technical Symposium on Compu ing Science Educa ion. SIGCSE
’16. Memphis, Tennessee, USA: Associa ion o Compu ing Machine y, pp. 645–650. isbn:
9781450336857. doi:10.1145/2839509.2844628.
Wes on, Timo hy J., Wendy M. Dubow, and Alexis Kaminsky (Sep . 2019). “P edic ing Women’s
Pe sis ence in Compu e Science- and Technology-Rela ed Majo s om High School o Col-
lege”. In: ACM T ans. Compu . Educ. 20.1. doi:10.1145/3343195.
14
Rec ui ing emale s uden s
Al hough boys and gi ls ha e he same skills and abili ies in he use and lea ning o echnologies,
gi ls unde es ima e hei compe encies (i.e., hey end o ha e low sel -es eem compa ed o boys)
in his ega d due o p essu e and gende s e eo ypes, which skew hei p o essional expec a ions.
I is essen ial o ge gi ls o ha e su icien sel -con idence and in e es in echnology om an
ea ly age when hey a e s ill in school. This pa o he bookle will ocus on he bes p ac ices and
ecommended ac ions o highe educa ion ins i u ions o ec ui and encou age emale s uden s
o s udy In o ma ics.
Bes p ac ices and Recommended ac ions o Uni e si ies, Resea ch Cen es
and Educa ional Ins i u ions:
•In o ma ics is an in e disciplina y discipline ha inc easingly plays a ole in o he ields
such as humani ies, medicine, social se ices, a , e c. I is impo an o ansmi his
eali y in all p omo ional e en s o In o ma ics- ela ed deg ees so ha young women can
see ha hey can con ibu e, ia compu ing, in hose a eas ha a e o in e es o hem
and ha mo i a e hem he mos (S e enson 2020; Seibel and Veilleux 2019; Vainionp¨a¨a,
Ii a i, e al. 2020).
•Uni e si ies should encou age hei emale s a o ha e good isibili y and communica ion
wi h emale s uden s o see he possibili y o o de ing wo-subjec deg ee p og ammes o
in eg a e compu ing wi h a o ano he non-compu ing subjec . An example is educa ion
and In o ma ics (C onhjo e al. 2020).
•The e a e g oups o emale eache s, esea che s, Ph.D. s uden s, e c., in compu ing ha
do an excellen job and ha e p omo ed he a ea despi e being a mino i y. I is impo an
o con ey ha all women in he compu ing ield o a gi en ins i u ion a e b ough oge he
in a way ha minimises he e ec o being in a mino i y g oup (Seibel and Veilleux 2019;
Vainionp¨a¨a, Kinnula, e al. 2020).
•In gene al, he e is a lack o o ien a ion o aining oppo uni ies and possible ca ee
pa hs in compu ing. O ganising in o ma ion sessions h oughou he yea is impo an
o p ope ly o ien s uden s abou all he In o ma ics- ela ed deg ees hey can pu sue and
hei ca ee oppo uni ies (S e enson 2020; Vainionp¨a¨a, Ii a i, e al. 2020). P esen he
ca ee pa hs discussed in he li e a u e in a way a ac i e o women and men.
•To p omo e emale e e ences in he echnological ield in schools, b eaking s e eo ypes
and making isible echnological women. I is impo an o de elop ac i i ies o make
isible new emale e e ences in a way ha is a ac i e and app op ia e o gi ls (Voldase
2020; Tian 2020; Seibel and Veilleux 2019; S e enson 2020).
•Ad e isemen ma e ial should no build on s e eo ypical pic u es o In o ma ics (such
as da k colou s and coding men). Ins ead, use b igh , iendly colou s, including people,
ensu ing gende balance and communica ion (G aba czyk e al. 2022; Tian 2020). Make
su e In o ma ics s ands a Open Days as being mo e in e es ing o women.
•Uni e si ies should use gende -balanced li e a u e and ad e ise ha he language used
is gende -neu al o balanced. Mo eo e , hey should encou age hei s a , when w i ing
new li e a u e, o make i a ac i e o emales by using mo e gende -balanced language.
15
•Uni e si ies should encou age s a o change he cou ses’ names o make hem mo e
in e es ing and accessible o women (Ha ey 2012). Fo ins ance, Uni e si y o Cali o nia,
Be keley called an in oduc o y p og amming module “The Beau y and Joy o Compu ing”
wi h as onishing esul s - many mo e women ook i han when i was called “In oduc ion
o P og amming”.
•While women in In o ma ics a e a mino i y g oup o e ing schola ships o emale appli-
can s could be conside ed. A good example o his could be men ioned in he case o
Koso o, whe e STEM schola ships a e o e ed o i s -yea emale s uden s, esul ing in
gende -balanced classes (a ound 50% a e emale in he i s yea o he Compu e Science
p og ammes).
Bes p ac ices and Recommended ac ions o Schools:
•I is essen ial ha In o ma ics is pa o he school cu iculum and eache s ha e he
app op ia e le el o each i . When he eache does no know he subjec su icien ly
well, s uden s pe cei e g ea e di icul y and lack o con idence, p oducing he opposi e
e ec o he desi ed one, i.e. disin e es .
•The cou se should be designed and de eloped inclusi ely, p o iding examples and exe cises
ha may in e es all gende s. The goal is o he gi ls in he cou se o eel pa o he
communi y and ha e a sense o belonging (Seibel and Veilleux 2019).
•The mos ele an aspec s o conside du ing he de elopmen o he cou se in he class-
oom so ha emale s uden s do no eel in imida ed a e he ollowing:
–No male-cen ic pa aphe nalia in he class oom (S e enson 2020; Tian 2020; Vain-
ionp¨a¨a, Ii a i, e al. 2020).
–Con ol hose “know-i -all” s uden s who c ea e a oxic en i onmen (Seibel and
Veilleux 2019).
–A oid unhelp ul ins uc o s who make emale s uden s eel ha compu e s a e no
o gi ls (Seibel and Veilleux 2019).
–Help emale s uden s eel sel -con iden (Seibel and Veilleux 2019).
∗O ganising gi ls in In o ma ics g oups
Bes p ac ices and ecommenda ions o he Minis y o Educa ion:
•In o ma ics should be conside ed in a sepa a e cou se as pa o he school cu iculum, and
in he de elopmen o ha cou se, emale compu e scien is s should be in ol ed (Seibel
and Veilleux 2019).
•The cou se should s a om an ea lie age and should be mo i a ional mo e han p o es-
sional, p esen ing success ul emale compu e scien is s and hei oad map.
•Gi ls wi h sel -in e es s should be encou aged h ough social media campaigns and p omo-
ional ac i i ies, join ly wi h local NGOs suppo ing gi ls (G aba czyk e al. 2022; Tian
2020).
16
Re e ences
C onhjo , Mikael, Samuel Bengma k, Linda Kann, and Viggo Kann (2020). “Leade ship and
Pedagogical Skills in Compu e Science Enginee ing by Combining a Deg ee in Enginee ing
wi h a Deg ee in Educa ion”. In: 2020 IEEE F on ie s in Educa ion Con e ence (FIE),
pp. 1–9. doi:10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9273958.
G aba czyk, Pawel, Alma F eiesleben, Amanda Bas up, and Claus B ab and (2022). “Com-
pu ing Educa ional P og ammes wi h mo e Women a e mo e abou People & less abou
Things”. In: P oceedings o he 27 h ACM Con e ence on on Inno a ion and Technology in
Compu e Science Educa ion Vol. 1. ITiCSE ’22. Dublin, I eland: Associa ion o Compu ing
Machine y, pp. 172–178. isbn: 9781450392013. doi:10.1145/3502718.3524784.
Ha ey, B ian (2012). “The beau y and joy o compu ing: Compu e science o e e yone”. In:
P oceedings o Cons uc ionism, pp. 33–39. u l:h ps://bjc.be keley.edu/documen s/
2012%20Cons uc ionism%20-%20The%20Beau y%20and%20Joy%20o %20Compu ing%20-
%20Compu e %20Science%20 o %20E e yone.pd .
Seibel, She y and Nane e Veilleux (Ap . 2019). “Fac o s in luencing women en e ing he so -
wa e de elopmen ield h ough coding boo camps s. compu e science bachelo ’s deg ees”.
In: J. Compu . Sci. Coll. 34.6, pp. 84–96. issn: 1937-4771.
S e enson, Monica L (2020). “The gende gap in STEM and compu e science jobs: a s udy
in es iga ing job abandonmen a es o women in compu e science”. PhD hesis. No hcen-
al Uni e si y. u l:h ps://www.p oques .com/disse a ions- heses/gende -gap-
s em-compu e -science-jobs-s udy/doc iew/2354843269/se-2?accoun id=28955.
Tian, Xiu (2020). Whe e A e All he Women?: Explo ing he Resea ch on he Unde -Rep esen a ion
o Women in Compu e Science.u l:h ps://schola .uwindso .ca/majo -pape s/
137/.
Vainionp¨a¨a, Fanny, Ne a Ii a i, Ma ianne Kinnula, and Xiaocan Zeng (June 2020). “IT is no
o me - Women’s Discou ses on IT and IT Ca ee s”. In.
Vainionp¨a¨a, Fanny, Ma ianne Kinnula, Ne a Ii a i, and Tonja Molin-Juus ila (Aug. 2020).
“Ca ee Choice and Gende ed Pe cep ions o IT – A Nexus Analy ic Inqui y”. In: pp. 37–
56. isbn: 978-3-030-49643-2. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49644-9_3.
Voldase, Te y (2020). “The Pe cep ions and Li ed Expe iences o Female S uden s in a Com-
pu e Science P og am a a Communi y College”. PhD hesis. Walden Disse a ions and
Doc o al S udies.
17
Re aining i s -yea bachelo emale s uden s
A i ion a es in he i s yea o s udy a e no mally highe han in any o he (Takacs e al.
2022). Re en ion a es a e s ongly a ec ed by a sense o isola ion, e.g., a lack o a sense o
belonging (Sax e al. 2018), and low sel -e icacy (Mejias e al. 2019). When we a e good a a
subjec we eel we dese e o belong he e. When s uden s a e unsu e ha hey a e good enough,
o eel a aul when hey do no unde s and, his can ac as a ba ie , educing hei chances o
e e ‘belonging’. When s uden s canno iden i y wi h hei pee s o ins uc o s and ind i ha d
o mix wi h hem, i can inc ease hei eelings o isola ion. I hey eel ‘le behind’ when hey
canno g asp concep s ha appea o be easily unde s ood by o he s, wi hou encou agemen om
pee s, men o s, and ins uc o s, i may ein o ce hei eelings ha hey a e no ‘good enough’
o ‘cle e enough’. In his sec ion, we make se e al ecommenda ions o c ea e oppo uni ies o
show e e ybody ha hey belong and dese e o belong in In o ma ics while p o iding mechanisms
o suppo hose who need encou agemen . Rega ding ini ia i es, pa en s o s uden s who p og ess
o uni e si y di ec ly om school a e o en he neglec ed g oup e en hough i is well known ha
hey ha e an e en ea lie in luence on hei child en (Zauchne e al. 2021).
Bes p ac ices and Recommended ac ions o Uni e si ies, Resea ch Cen es
and Educa ional Ins i u ions:
•Role Models
–Make emale ole models p ominen , isible, and a ailable o emale s uden s om
ea ly in he s uden s’ i s -cycle deg ee educa ion.
–Encou age ou each om women wo king in he IT indus y as ole models - in i e
emale gues speake s om indus y/academia o sha e hei hones expe iences as
unde g adua es and o alk abou hei achie emen s (Con e ino 2020; Seibel and
Veilleux 2019; S e enson 2020).
–Inc ease he isibili y o emale pee s (i.e., o o he emale s uden s in he same
coho ) by placing emale s uden s oge he in he same lab/p ac ical g oup in hose
cases whe e i s -yea s uden s canno all ake he same lab/p ac ical session oge he
due o limi ed esou ces (e.g., he e is less han a 1- o-1 a io o en olled s uden s
o compu e s in a lab) (Con e ino 2020; Lyon and G een 2021; Seibel and Veilleux
2019; Tian 2020).
•Men o ing
–P o ide men o ing suppo o emale s uden s in he ea ly s ages o i s -cycle deg ee
p og ammes. Female men o s a e p e e ed, as e idence poin s o a g ea e sense
o belonging when men ees can iden i y wi h hei men o s (Lyon and G een 2021;
Pan ic 2020; S e enson 2020; Voldase 2020).
–Encou age and suppo emale men o s om amongs he 2nd/3 d/ inal yea s uden
coho in i s cycle deg ee p og ammes and pos g adua e p og ammes. E idence also
shows ha sel -e icacy and sel -con idence inc ease when a emale s uden is asked
o men o ano he emale s uden (Ghio e al. 2020; Pan ic 2020; Seibel and Veilleux
2019).
18
–Recognise men o ship as a alued olun a y ac i i y on supplemen a y deg ee an-
sc ip s. This inc eases oppo uni ies o ec ui men o s om among he s uden
popula ion as hey will be able o demons a e a angible, much sough -a e skill o
po en ial employe s (Mondisa, Packa d, and Mon gome y 2021; V iele , Nyl´en, and
Cajande 2020)
–P o ide oppo uni ies o wo k placemen o in e nship du ing he deg ee p og amme
(Lyon and G een 2021; Pan ic 2020; Smi h e al. 2020).
•Feedback and Guidance
–Make i easie o women o ask/answe ques ions in mixed-gende mixed-abili y
lab/class en i onmen s (Con e ino 2020; K e h e al. 2019; Seibel and Veilleux
2019). This can be achie ed by isi ing each s uden and solici ing ques ions ha
will no be o e hea d. In a lec u e oom en i onmen , conside allowing anonymous
ques ion-asking and answe ing h ough online se ices. Always poin ou ha he
ques ions a e good o ha many people ha e hose ques ions, and encou age asking
ques ions.
–Inc ease oppo uni ies o s uden s o demons a e hey do know he ma e ial and
ha hey a e capable, h ough posi i e eedback in an en i onmen ha p omo es and
encou ages s uden pa icipa ion, by p o iding egula eedback on wo k/assignmen s
du ing he academic e m/semes e /yea (Nguyen and Lewis 2020; Seibel and Veilleux
2019).
•G oups, labs, and ex acu icula ac i i ies
–C ea e small-g oup ac i i ies/ex a-classes (e.g., lab exe cises, assignmen s, e c.) and
suppo all- emale g oups (Nguyen and Lewis 2020). Fi s -yea p og amming exe -
cises and assignmen s should be con ex ualised wi h eal-wo ld examples whe e pos-
sible. This will help s uden s unde s and why he echniques ma e (Con e ino
2020).
–Ac i ely p omo e inclusi e ex acu icula ac i i ies in sa e spaces designed o en-
cou age women o pa icipa e (Con e ino 2020; Pan ic 2020).
•Addi ional suppo
–Recognise, allow o , and suppo , s uden s who a e also p ima y ca e s.
–Fo s uden s who p og ess o uni e si y di ec ly om school, pa en s may play an
impo an ole in encou aging hem no o gi e up on hei s udies. Facul ies should
in es iga e ways o in o m pa en s and o he s in e es ed in mo i a ing and suppo ing
emale i s -yea s uden s abou he de ici o emale s uden s in In o ma ics and he
impo ance o gende balance in In o ma ics. Fo example, making his documen
a ailable o emale s uden s wi h sugges ions ha hey sha e i wi h hei pa en s
o hei suppo ne wo k can help in o m hem o he di icul ies hey could ace.
Facul ies should also explain wha suppo s a e p o ided o mi iga e hese di icul ies.
•Know he Da a
–When a s uden decides no o pu sue s udies in In o ma ics, conside in e iewing
hem o conduc ing an exi su ey o disco e he unde lying easons. Ins i u ions
may be able o use he da a o make be e decisions ega ding suppo mechanisms.
19
∗C ea e ques ionnai es also o he i s -yea emale s uden s o be e unde s and
he di icul ies hey ace. This can also be linked o di e en cul u es and how
hey pe cei e hings o a ce ain deg ee.
Case - School o Compu e Science, TU Dublin, I eland
Since 2012, TU Dublin has in oduced se e al e en ion s a egies o suppo hei un-
de g adua e Compu e Science deg ee p og ammes. The s a egies include ensu ing ha
no lab has only one emale s uden ; lab assis an s solici ques ions om s uden s one-
on-one; he School suppo s he c ea ion o a socie y o emale echnology s uden s; and
ac i ely in ol es emale men o s om indus y (McKee e and Dei d e Lillis 2021). The
School o Compu e Science has imp o ed hei o e all i s -yea s uden p og ession a e
om an a e age o 45% pe yea (2004-2008) o an a e age o 89% (2012-2017), and he
p og ession a e o emale s uden s is sligh ly highe han male s uden s. Coupled wi h
an imp o ed ec ui men s a egy, in 2020 TU Dublin emale s uden s made up 30% o
he in ake ac oss h ee compu ing deg ee p og ammes (Dei de Lillis 2020).
20
Re e ences
Con e ino, Ch is ina (2020). “Nuancing he discou se o unde ep esen a ion: a eminis pos -
s uc u al analysis o gende inequali y in compu e science educa ion in he US”. In: Gende
and Educa ion 32.5, pp. 594–607. doi:10.1080/09540253.2019.1632417.
Ghio, Ca oline, Sydney Mo is, Hannah Boyce, B adley P iem, Paul Dimilla, and Rachelle Reis-
be g (June 2020). “The Impac s on Pee Tu o s o Leading G oup Supplemen al Ins uc ion
o Fi s -Yea Enginee ing S uden s”. In: doi:10.18260/1-2--35336.
K e h, Quin in, Ma y E e Spi ou, Sa abe h Budens ein, and Julia Melke s (2019). “How p io
expe ience and sel -e icacy shape g adua e s uden pe cep ions o an online lea ning en i-
onmen in compu ing”. In: Compu e Science Educa ion 29.4, pp. 357–381. doi:10.1080/
08993408.2019.1601459.
Lillis, Dei de (2020). C acking The Silicon Ceiling – Female In ake Fo Compu e Science De-
g ees in TU Dublin Reaches A Reco d 42%.u l:h ps://i ish echnews.ie/ emale-
%20in ake%20compu e -science-deg ees- u-dublin/.
Lyon, Louise Ann and Emily G een (Feb. 2021). “Coding Boo Camps: Enabling Women o
En e Compu ing P o essions”. In: ACM T ans. Compu . Educ. 21.2. doi:10.1145/3440891.
McKee e , Susan and Dei d e Lillis (2021). “Add essing he Rec ui men and Re en ion o
Female S uden s in Compu e Science a Thi d Le el”. In: CoRR abs/2110.06090. a Xi :
2110.06090.u l:h ps://a xi .o g/abs/2110.06090.
Mejias, Ma lon, Ke ly Jean-Pie e, Glo ia Washing on, and Legand Bu ge (2019). “Unde ep-
esen ed G oups Th ea s o Belonging in Compu ing”. In: 2019 Resea ch on Equi y and
Sus ained Pa icipa ion in Enginee ing, Compu ing, and Technology (RESPECT), pp. 1–4.
doi:10.1109/RESPECT46404.2019.8985905.
Mondisa, J.L., Becky Packa d, and Be onda Mon gome y (Ma . 2021). “Unde s anding wha
STEM men o ing ecosys ems need o h i e: A STEM-ME amewo k”. In: Men o ing &
Tu o ing: Pa ne ship in Lea ning 29, pp. 1–26. doi:10.1080/13611267.2021.1899588.
Nguyen, An and Colleen M. Lewis (2020). “Compe i i e En ollmen Policies in Compu ing
Depa men s Nega i ely P edic Fi s -Yea S uden s’ Sense o Belonging, Sel -E icacy, and
Pe cep ion o Depa men ”. In: P oceedings o he 51s ACM Technical Symposium on Com-
pu e Science Educa ion. SIGCSE ’20. Po land, OR, USA: Associa ion o Compu ing Ma-
chine y, pp. 685–691. isbn: 9781450367936. doi:10.1145/3328778.3366805.
Pan ic, Ka a ina (2020). “Re en ion o Women in Compu e Science: Why Women Pe sis in
Thei Compu e Science Majo s”. PhD hesis. U ah S a e Uni e si y. doi:h ps://doi.
o g/10.26076/jhe -9 02.
Sax, Linda J., Jenni e M. Blaney, Ka hleen J. Lehman, Sa ah L. Rod iguez, Ka i L. Geo ge,
and Ch is ina Za ala (2018). “Sense o Belonging in Compu ing: The Role o In oduc o y
Cou ses o Women and Unde ep esen ed Mino i y S uden s”. In: Social Sciences 7.8. issn:
2076-0760. doi:10.3390/socsci7080122.
Seibel, She y and Nane e Veilleux (Ap . 2019). “Fac o s in luencing women en e ing he so -
wa e de elopmen ield h ough coding boo camps s. compu e science bachelo ’s deg ees”.
In: J. Compu . Sci. Coll. 34.6, pp. 84–96. issn: 1937-4771.
Smi h, Sally, Ella Taylo -Smi h, Kh is in Fabian, Ma hew Ba , Tessa Be g, Da id Cu ing,
James Pa e son, Ti any Young, and Ma k Za b (2020). “Compu ing deg ee app en iceships:
An oppo uni y o add ess gende imbalance in he IT sec o ?” In: 2020 IEEE F on ie s in
Educa ion Con e ence (FIE), pp. 1–8. doi:10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274144.
S e enson, Monica L (2020). “The gende gap in STEM and compu e science jobs: a s udy
in es iga ing job abandonmen a es o women in compu e science”. PhD hesis. No hcen-
21
