Does Gender Matter? Women Talk about Being Female in College Computing Classes

Abstract

A widely held belief among researchers and educators is that gender stereotypes keep women from pursuing IT---that a female identity is inconsistent with a positive computer science identity. As a result, many interventions aim to raise awareness about gender discrimination and bias, and online and school- and community-based groups offer support and mentoring for girls and women. However, not all female students use a gender lens to interpret their experience. In this paper, we use data from 70 women taking an introductory computer science class at either a university or community college to describe the different ways they think about how being female affects their interest or experience in computing classes. We use the findings to explore the conditions under which using a gender lens will undermine or enhance efforts to increase women's participation in computing fields.