Honors College Thesis
 

Reasons Behind the Low Enrollment of Women in Computer Science

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/sb397b06z

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  • Over the past few decades, the ratio of women to men in many traditionally maledominated fields has become much more equal. However, in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields the ratio has not improved at the same rate. In computer science the ratio is still very uneven. Today women earn only 20% of the computer science degrees. Many recruitment programs try to attract more women to CS, but these efforts would be more successful if we had a better understanding of why many women are uninterested in CS. Our study uses a survey for high school students to reveal what females look for in a major and how they perceive computer science. Our results suggest that women are more influenced by the negative stereotypes of CS students and jobs as being lonely and boring, having a parent in a tech or engineering field increases interest in CS for women, and men are more influenced by a desire for financial security than women are.
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