Reducing The Gender Gap in the Computer Science Field

Why is the ratio of Men to Women so large in the Computer Science field, and what can we do to fix it?

In my Anthropology Sex & Gender class, we had to write a paper relating what we learned in class during the semester to our major. I chose to write about some of the reasons why there are so few women in the Computer Science field. In my paper, Reducing the Gender Gap in the Computer Science Field, I narrowed down the reasons why the gap exists, and found some small changes that could make it smaller.

One of the reasons I chose to research for my paper was Environmental cues. When the classroom had stereotypical cues like Star Trek posters, junk food and video games, women were less interested to join the Computer Science program. When the classroom had neutral items like healthy snacks and nature posters, women were more inclined to join the program. Men didn’t care either way. I thought this was interesting because the classrooms at CSUF have nothing on the walls, and the department has the biggest difference in it’s Male to Female ratio out of all of the Cal State schools (so I hear).

It is an interesting subject with no easy answers.