What causes women to discontinue pursuing the undergraduate computer science major at higher rates than men? W 1Toward Improving if* EJS the COMPUTER S( A lthough many computer professionals believe that inherent or deeply ingrained gender differences make women less suited to the study and practice of computer science [5,9], the results reported here demonstrate chat female underrepresentation in computer science could be avoided. Women can and do succeed in computer science (CS) when conditions do not deter them. The variation that occurs in womens participation rates demonstrates that many women succeed as computer scientists in certain times and settings. Conditions affecting female retention in undergraduate computer science are identified in this article.' Evidence that women's success in computer science varies over rime was provided in an article by Camp that appeared in Communications in 1997 [2], In this article. Camp documented the rise and fall in the temale proportion of computer science Bachelor's degrees between 1981 and 1994. Camp also noted that this variation was affected by the type ot college (engineering/nonengineering) in which a CS department was located. Figure 1 expands Camp's timeframe to the most recent available data and reconfirms that women's proportion of CS Bachelor's degrees waxes and wanes. As Figure 1 shows, 'In ihc U.S., 69% of rhe female college entrants who intended to major in computer science in 1987 swiithed to some other majoi by 1991 [lOj. This female switching rate compares very untavorubly with the male switching rate of 46%.
I n t r o d u c t i o nThis paper recommends methods for increasing female participation in undergraduate computer science. The recommendations are based on recent and on-going research into the gender gap in computer science and related disciplines They are intended to work in tandem with the Computing Research Association's recommendations for graduate programs (see [18] in this issue) to promote a general increase in women's participation in computing professions.Most of the suggestions offered here could improve the educational environment for both male and female students. However, general improvements are likely to be of particular benefit to women because women in our society do not generally receive the same level of support that men receive for entering and persisting in this field. Parents, friends, and classmates seldom encourage women to choose and continue in a computing discipline. Those few women who declare a computing major tend to experience continued lack of support throughout their education. They have few female peers to call on for help. Furthermore, students in their own and other majors may consider them odd. Even faculty can discourage women with unthinking remarks or with expectations based on the assumption that men's behavior and experience are the basis for success in computing majors. This lack of support can block or weaken women's commitment to computing. Moreover, when conditions in a department are generally unfavorable, those with a weakened commitment to the discipline often leave at higher rates than those who have sufficient support to overcome the conditions.
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