Support communities for women in computing

Gabbert, Paula; Meeker, Paige H.

doi:10.1145/543812.543832

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…A common claim across an otherwise diverse body of research has been that this exclusion has been produced through a strong relationship between technoscience and men's performance of masculinities (Cockburn 1983(Cockburn , 1985Cockburn and Ormrod 1993;Faulkner 2000;Fergus 1993;Hacker 1989Hacker , 1990Lie 1998;Mellström 1995;Robinson and McIlwee 1991;Wajcman 1991Wajcman , 2004). An exclusion focus has also dominated studies of the gendering of computer science, which have primarily explained the low and declining number of women in higher computer science education in most Western countries through two types of deficit models (Lagesen 2005, 14-18): women's deficits (e.g., Brosnan 1998;Borge et al 1980;Durndell et al 2000;Kramer and Lehman 1990;Maccoby and Jacklin 1974;Siann 1997) and deficits in the educational practices of computer science and its student culture (e.g., Cohoon 2002Cohoon , 2006Gabbert and Meeker 2002;Lagesen 2005;Margolis and Fisher 2002;Roberts, Kassiandou, and Irani 2002;Townsend 2002). Furthermore, discriminatory practices and other minority problems have been identified as produced within the culture of computer science (e.g., Dambrot et al 1985;Spertus 1991;Teague 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cyberfeminist Utopia?

Lagesen

2008

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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The low and shrinking numbers of women in higher computer science education is a well-known problem in most Western countries. The dominant Western perception of the relationship between gender and computer science codes the latter as "masculine," and the low number of women is seen at least partly as an effect of that coding. Malaysia represents a different case. There are large numbers of women in computer science, and computer science is not perceived as "masculine." Rather, it is deemed as providing suitable jobs and good careers for women. This reflects an understanding of gender where femininities are constructed by association to office work, commonly recognized as a woman-friendly space because it is seen as more safe and protected than, for example, construction sites and factories. The findings suggest that gender and computer science may be more diversely coproduced than commonly believed in Western research.M uch research has explored the gender-technology relationship to analyze how women have been excluded from technological fields and how gendered perceptions and values have worked to shape design as well as use of technologies. A common claim across an otherwise diverse body of research has been that this exclusion has been produced through a strong relationship between technoscience and men's performance of masculinities

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cyberfeminist Utopia?

Lagesen

2008

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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“…Providing more female role models is generally seen as very important among most people dealing with this issue (Kavanagh & Richardson, 1997;Roberts et al, 2002;Townsend, 2002). In addition, the importance of networking and support communities has been emphasized (Gabbert & Meeker, 2002). Some have argued that if pedagogical changes are introduced to broaden the scope of computer science, this would also attract more women (Salminen-Karlsson, 1999).…”

Section: Educational Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Strength of Numbers

Lagesen

2007

Soc Stud Sci

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This paper investigates four different inclusion strategies used to recruit women to computer science: achieving a critical mass, educational reform, redefining the gendered symbolism of computer science and changing the content of the discipline. The relationship between and the relative importance of these four strategies are explored by looking at the extensive and successful Women and Computing Initiative (WCI) that was run by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), starting in 1996, to recruit and retain more women in computer science. The findings suggest that a direct effort to increase the relative number of women is the most important strategy. While raising the number of women recruited seems to affect the symbolic perception of computer science, this effect is difficult to achieve through attempts to directly change the symbolic image of the discipline. In addition, a substantial increase in the number of women appears to cause an improvement in their learning environment, probably because minority problems such as too much visibility and unwanted attention became less prominent.

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“…[1] In many cases, they do. However, once in practice, these groups can actually promote isolation and perpetuate the very stereotypes they were created to combat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%