Females tend to lose interest in computer science early in life due to gaining less computer experience than boys during childhood. This discrepancy is often driven by male-oriented computer games. Additionally, in school, boys tend to demand more teacher attention, which can leave girls to learn on their own.

Early loss of female interest in computer science

Females and males often have different levels of motivation concerning pursuing a career in the CS field. They also have different communication styles, resulting in women being less aggressive when promoting themselves, trying new/challenging activities, and competing for awards.

Less female motivation in regards to computer science

Family support can play a big role when choosing to study CS. Socialization of children based on gender can unintentionally inhibit girls from choosing to study CS based on gender stereotypes and lack of self confidence. Literature has also referenced the "geek factor" as a turn-off for girls becoming interested in CS, as they think they might be viewed as "nerdy".

Less support for females in computer science

Media portrayals of computer programmers are almost always male. The lack of women in the CS disciplines can have negative psychological impacts on female students. Overall, there are few female role models in CS for other women to look to.

Lack of female role models in computer science careers

Positive attitudes toward computer science (CS) contribute significantly to success in the field, but females tend to report less positive attitudes than males. Despite performing at similar levels, women generally have less confidence in their abilities and accomplishments than men. They may also feel out of place in a male-dominated field.

Lack of females' positive attitude towards computer science

- loss of interest in CS early on in life
- positive attitudes towards CS
- varying levels of motivation
- family support
- lack of role models

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Empirical literature identifies several factors contributing to the gender gap in computer science, including belonging uncertainty and self-efficacy beliefs, the 'pipeline shrinkage' problem (the female-to-male ratio narrowing from student years into careers), gender differences in computer-task performance and motivation, and CS-education-specific barriers such as prior computing experience, lack of role models, and departmental encouragement and support. The subtopics below organize these factors as documented in the reviewed studies.

Factors contributing to the Gender Gap in Computer Science

- different experiences with computers prior to entering college (men had more previous computing experience that often lead to women feeling less confident in their abilities)
- mathematics and programming focussed first year courses
- the lack of departmental encouragement and support
- the low number of women role models in computer science 
- the lack of collaborative work in the classroom 
- gender discrimination 
- wider cultural stereotypes of computer science’s heavy workload, social isolation, and gamer-mentality (women feel alienated from the male-centered computer science culture).  


Factors influencing the Computer Science Gender Gap

Analyzing the results of the questionnaires, the research study discovered differences between male and female computer science students, based on several different factors: 

- gains: what the student could benefit from learning computer science
- engagement: whether or not the student was willing to study computer science
- motivation: why the student wanted to learn computer science
- barriers: the obstacles that could lead to quitting their studies, such as values, teaching quality, and satisfaction
- all of these can lead to retention: whether or not the student would be willing to continue with computer science

Reasons for CS Students to Study Computer Science

Students’ experienced sense of belonging has been shown to positively influence many aspects of education, including motivation, performance, retention, and general well-being
- Belonging Uncertainty: concern about the quality of one’s social ties or about whether one would be fully included in positive social relationships (note: this is separate from stereotype threat)
- Self-Efficacy Beliefs: a person’s confidence in his or her ability to accomplish certain tasks; these beliefs can influence career-related decisions

Belonging Uncertainty and Self-Efficacy

This term refers to the decrease in the female-male ratio for those involved in computing from early student years to working years.

The Pipeline Shrinkage Problem

- this study sought to analyze differences in performance on a computer task for males and females
- explored motivation as a way to explain the differences they found

Learn Before

Related

Learn After