Reading 13
Consider the history: That Time When Women Stopped Coding
What occured during the same time as the beginning of the decline of women in computer science?
The decline of women in computer science coincided with the prevalence of PCs in households. Boys were more likely to receive computers as gifts and had more opportunities to become experienced with the technology. A narrative eventually worked it’s way into pop culture and further pushed the divide.
Why does it matter that males had been playing on computers growing up?
Since boys were more likely to be gifted a computer, and girls were not as likely, boys had an experiential advantage. College professors would assume that all students grew up with computers in the household, but this wasn’t always the case. This would often lead to discouragement towards pursuing a computer science program.
Review the data: Employee breakdown of key technology companies
What three take-a-ways do you have looking at this data?
- Software engineering is very “white”.
- Women make up about 1/2 of all software engineers, but are underrepresented
- Diversity in workplaces is growing
Ask the question: Why diversity matters to your tech company
When are diversity efforts most successful?
Company leaders should take the reigns to guide the diversity efforts of the company.
Why do diverse companies perform better?
When ideas come from many different walks of life, many different experiences, new and diverse solutions come to light. This encourages innovation in a company.
Give an example of how a diverse company can serve a diverse user base or vise-versa.
Companies can introduce access to people with differing abilities, hire interpreters, and highlight the different cultures found in their company, encouraging everyone to learn from each other.