Stereotypes and Societal Pressures Discourage Women from Pursuing Computer Science

Participants in a UMD summer camp
teaching middle school girls to code.

Women in the tech industry have it tough; they often face stereotypes, harassment, and poor media portrayals which all reinforce the idea that computer science is a field for only men. Recent media coverage of events involving women in computer science are starting to dispel some of the biases against these women, but current societal views still make it hard to break from the traditionally male dominated workplace.

Societal Stereotypes Portray Computer Science as a Field for Men

One hindrance to the amount of women studying computer science and working in related fields is the societal stereotype that career choices are determined by gender. Examples of these biases are detailed in an article from the University of Washington, where author Deborah Bach states that computer scientists are often perceived as "geeky, brilliant and socially awkward males." Bach further suggests that society's idea of women's careers involve "working with and helping others," which does not intersect with the stereotypical career in technology related fields. These systemic biases present computer science as a field intended solely for men, reducing the appeal to females potentially interested studying programming.

Pages from "Barbie: I Can Be a
Computer Engineer" that depict Barbie
requiring help from male friends.

These stereotypes affect not only women in the workforce or in college, but also influence girls who are in elementary school. Books created for young girls can contain societal stereotypes that influence the younger generation's ideas of what jobs they're destined for later in life because of their gender. One notorious example of this is the book "Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer," which features Barbie accidentally infecting her computer with a virus and requesting the help of her male friends to fix it. NPR's interviews with concerned parents highlight the stereotypes in the book and how they reinforce the idea that women aren't meant to be computer scientists.

Isabella Coronado, president of the University of Maryland's Association for Women in Computing, said that her research on children in elementary school suggests that at an early age "girls excel in math and science, and a lot of them say they are interested in pursuing a career in STEM fields." Coronado proposed that as children enter middle school, they become more aware of the gender roles associated with different career paths and feel pressured to conform to these roles. What's more, Coronado also elaborated that these stereotypes tarnish men's views of women as computer scientists because they imply that women in this field don't belong because they do not follow societal norms.

Geeky Items in Education and Work Environments Detract from Female Interest in Computer Science

The prominence of items like technology magazines and Star Trek posters in a classroom setting have detrimental effects on women's interest in studying computer science. This is a problem for the tech industry, as stereotypes of being nerdy are often embraced in company culture and classrooms. One study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology noted that stereotypical items are often perceived as masculine, which can inhibit a woman's sense of belonging in an environment. By taking pride in the nerdy culture associated with the tech industry and incorporating this culture in the workplace, companies reduce women's belief that they are welcome in the industry.

Data from the University of Washington

Another study from the University of Washington investigated how receptive women are to computer science in classrooms with stereotypical objects and compared their level of interest to women in classrooms that did not contain such objects. The study found that 68 percent of girls preferred the non-stereotypical classroom, indicating that reducing the amount of nerdy items in classrooms may improve the amount of women interested in computer science in the years to come.

Pictured: Participants of Technica

When asked about how to improve the appeal of computer science careers to girls, Coronado suggested having events dedicated solely to signify the impacts women have in technology fields. Recent events at the University of Maryland have sought to encourage girls to participate in computer science. Technica was an event where participants made computer programs for 24 hours straight, called a hackathon, held in early November with a unique twist: all participants were female. Coronado explained that the goal of Technica was to inspire women to pursue their passions without letting gender be an obstacle. Another recent event at the University of Maryland was an open forum that facilitated discussion about the gender gap in the undergraduate computer science program. The panel allowed women in the major to articulate what makes them feel accepted and what aspects of the program detract from their sense of belonging. By doing so, the panel will serve as a catalyst for making the computer science major more accessible to women and will encourage a rise in the number of women in technology related jobs.

Misogyny and Harassment in the Workplace Lead More Females to Quit and Fewer to Join

Another leading factor for female disinterest regarding working in computer science as a career is the prevalence of misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace. One article from the New York Times depicted some instances of sexism in the tech industry that caused women to leave their place of work. One such example was the creation of a mobile phone application called "Titstare" at a hackathon that was designed to take pictures of men's faces while they were looking at women's chests. Insulted by the objectification the app perpetuated and her boss's support for the app's development, former Glimpse worker Elissa Shevinsky quit her job and began speaking out against the misogynistic viewpoints involved in the culture of technology related jobs.

Tweet from Julie Ann Horvath
describing her experience as a
woman in the tech industry.

Other recent incidents have brought to light the high rates of harassment against females in the tech industry, and further harassment if victims disclose what they experienced to the public. Julie Ann Horvath was a software developer for Github before she quit due to harassment she experienced in the workplace. In an interview with CNBC, Horvath discussed not only the hurtful interactions she had at work, but also the threats that were made to her and her family once she quit and tweeted about the harassment she faced. These instances of women coming forth and detailing the fear of going to work or letting anyone know about their negative experiences further discourages women from wanting to pursue these types of jobs.

These instances of sexism are so rampant in technology careers that 56 percent of women quit their job by midcareer according to a recent study from Harvard. Of those who quit, 51 percent leave the technology industry altogether, choosing jobs that do not involve their past training in order to join a workforce with less machismo. The study also shows that females in STEM jobs have a massive drop in ambition over the course of their career; 35% of these women consider themselves to be very ambitious at the start of their career, but only 14% describe themselves this way by age 45. This sharp drop looks discouraging to girls interested in technology focused jobs, as it implies that interest in the job decreases dramatically over time. These trends may cause women to look for other career paths where ambition is more consistent and dropouts are less common.

Media Coverage and Activism Help Dispel Stereotypes Surrounding Women in Technology Fields

Girls Who Code founder Reshma
Saujani, center, with students.

In order to reduce the gap between the number of men and women in computer science careers, several organizations are working to break the societal belief that technology careers are only for men. One organization, Girls Who Code, is trying to raise female interest in computer science by increasing accessibility to programming resources for girls and by encouraging companies to hire women who participate in their programs. By creating these networks between companies and coders, Girls Who Code is helping raise public awareness of the gender gap and is actively recruiting women into the tech industry.

Coronado said that specialty programs that emphasize the capabilities of women in computer science are excellent ways to draw more girls into the field. Additionally, Coronado said that the media coverage of these events helps break stereotypes that the industry is not intended for women to join. By generating awareness that women are actively participating in computer science activities like Technica, and that they are successful in their careers, Coronado hopes that the media will help broaden the ideas of what people think defines computer scientists.

Females in the tech industry face hardships entering and staying with computer science as students and as workers. But rising societal awareness of stereotypes and work to combat them is making the field more appealing to women. As dedicated events that showcase the abilities of girls with technology continue to gain media coverage, it hopefully won't be long before women gain stronger footing in the tech industry. However, companies must acknowledge their biases against women and make their workplaces more inviting before we will see a rise in the number of females with careers in computer science.