Overview of Findings: What Did We Learn

1
Overview of Findings What Did We Learn?

• Gender Differences in Computer Science and
  Applied Information Technology Results from Web
  Survey

Gender and IT Education Conference, Indiana
University, 2007
2
Overview Question/Hypothesis

• Applied IT fields are more woman friendly than
  computer science.
• What are the characteristics of these programs
  and the students/faculty in them that make them
  more women friendly?
• Both undergrad and graduate students included

3
Web-based Survey

• Problems but best opportunity to reach students
  in these programs
• 1516 of 1768 reported on (no answer to gender
  question for the rest)
• Sample split between CS and Applied
• CS 508 males/115 females
• Applied 414 males/479 females

4
Year in School (N1456)
5
Characteristics of groups

• CS more traditional age--almost all under
  35/Applied are somewhat older--27.5 over 35
• More of Applied also married and with children
• Characteristics reflected in attitudes/behaviors
• Men in both groups had fathers with traditional
  views (more than women)
• Men in CS tended to have mothers with
  significantly more traditional views than CS
  women

6
Experience with Computers

• Higher frequency of game playing in CS and men in
  both groups
• Main computing activity from age 12-17 was game
  playing for CS men
• For women in CS, most important activity was
  communicating with friends

7
When/Where Learned to Program (N1250)
8
Gender of Person Who Most Encouraged Study of IT
(N671)
9
Reasons for Choosing IT

• Finding well-paid employment
• Flexible work schedule
• Personal interest in the subject matter
• Helping Others
• Role Models
• Skill in the Discipline

10
Reasons for Choosing IT where Difference Was
Significant

• CS men were more likely to consider well-paid
  employment
• CS women less likely to report a personal
  interest in subject matter
• Applied women more likely to have desire to help
  others
• Applied women more likely to have been drawn by
  role models
• Men in both groups more likely to say they were
  good at computers

11
Satisfaction with IT

• Overall, both groups were quite satisfied with
  their majors
• Men and women were equally satisfied in both
  groups

12
Confidence in Finishing Degree

• Applied group significantly more confident that
  they will complete their degrees
• Applied 87 of men and 91 of women very
  confident of completion
• CS 77 of men and 76 of women very confident
  of completion

13
Computing Comfort/Confidence Levels

• In both groups, about half of women said they
  were very comfortable using computers
• Significantly more men--86 in CS reported being
  very comfortable, as did 77.3 in Applied group.
• Significantly more women in both groups reported
  being not very confident with computers
• 13.1 of CS women and 11.3 of Applied
• 2.6 of CS men and 3.1 of Applied

14
Self-Reported Skill with Computers

• CS men rated their skills at the highest levels,
  as better or much better than others in
  their major (67.1 of the group)
• Applied women rated their skills the lowest
  (24.0 rated their skills as better or much
  better)
• The same level of gender difference emerged for
  both groups

15
Reported Ease with Computer Languages

• Men in both groups reported learning languages
  easily at a higher rate than women did
• CS men reported getting high grades in
  programming classes at a higher rate than CS women

16
Engagement with Problems

• Men in both the CS and Applied group expressed a
  higher attraction to the challenge of solving
  problems with computers
• The difference was smaller for the CS group (4
  of the men and 2.6 of women said the challenge
  was not at all appealing)

17
Relationship Between Gender and Attitudes Toward
Computer Work
18
Recommendations

• Need to challenge disciplinary boundaries of CS
  so that skills required to succeed are not
  thought to apply only to males
• Challenge the assumption in applied fields that
  women are naturally attracted to those
  disciplines
• More pro-active measures need to be taken in both
  fields to recruit, retain, provide support
  programs and beyond