Engaging Women’s Participation in Hackathons: A Qualitative Study with Participants of a Female-focused Hackathon

Hackathons are a sort of application development marathon typically lasting between 24 and 48 hours. They are increasingly becoming an alternative and popular method for fast learning and networking, bringing people together in a short period to do creative projects. However, the number of women participating in such events is extremely low and worrying, and literature lacks empirical evidence about the reasons for that. This qualitative study gathers data and brings a discussion about this topic, as an attempt to understand better why women are not so interested in this type of event. We interviewed participants of a female-focused hackathon and tried to (1) understand reasons for women not participating in hackathons; (2) understand motivational aspects; and (3) understand the main problems concerning gender in hackathons.