Emily Atkins

MEDT 7485: Leading Computational Thinking

Short Paper 1: Girls’ Access to CS

Introduction
As computer science becomes embedded in all areas of work and society, it is important
to make sure access to computer science education is available to all students. Females,
especially those in low socio-economic areas and minorities, are woefully under represented in
the field of computer science. Measures need to be taken to help level the playing field for our
female students.
Girls Access to Computer Education
Even though girls’ access to computer science education has improved in the past years,
we still have a long way to go. With less than 26% of computer science jobs going to women
(Martin & Soares, 2016) there is a strong need for more women in the field. Additionally, with
less than 27% of high schools offering rigorous computer science courses (Computer Science
Education Week, n.d), especially those in underserved and low socio-economic areas, students
are not given the opportunity to learn computer science (Margolis, Goode, & Bernier, 2011).
While currently very little computer science is taught in elementary school, as girls get older
their opportunities slightly increase until they have their best opportunities in college.
Causes for Disparity in Girls CS Access
However, it has been argued that waiting until college is not adequate. By the time girls
are high school aged they often already have negative preconceived notions about people who
are computer scientists and don’t show any interest in computing (Martin & Soares, 2016).
Additionally, there is a general lack of knowledge in the role women have played in the
computer science field (Vardi, 2018). Girls aren’t told about the female computers that have
come before them, therefore they are unable to see themselves in these kinds of roles. Another
struggle that girls have to overcome to be a part of the computer science field is that of the Social
Role Theory. From an early age social norms are placed on children based on gender (Eagly &
Wood, 2016). Children grow up thinking that there are specific types of jobs for both men and
women. For instance, women typically have jobs that often focus on nurture, like teachers and
nurses. Therefore girls don’t think that computer science, something often lacking human
interaction and emotion, is something meant for them. Women who do make it into the
computer science field face sexist and hostile environments from many of their male peers
(Vardi, 2018). This lack of women in the field makes it difficult for young girls to find role
models in the computer science area.
Strategies for Making CS Accessible
Throughout the field of computer science, strides are being made to get girls earlier and
higher quality access to computer science education. These programs’, like code.org, goals are
to show young students how to code with video tutorials given by both women and men in the
coding field. CSforALL is another program striving to create equality in the field of computer
science. CSforALL enters schools that otherwise wouldn’t have have quality CS programs.
Perhaps the most girl-focused strategy is that of Martin and Soares (2016) who began computer
science camps exclusively for middle school girls. These camps not only access the girls at a
prime time in their educational career but it gives girls the head start they need. The girls
enjoyed using App Inventor to design their own apps over a three day period.
Personal Response
As a woman who has been affected by many of the causes of disparity in female
computer science education, I feel a strong urge to better the situation for my 3rd grade girls. As
a third grade teachers, I can start by given my students the opportunity to use programs like
code.org and Scratch to learn the basics of computer science at a young and impressionable age.
Additionally, I can teach my students about the female computer scientists who have paved the
way for them. Finally, I think it is important to let girls know that they can be whatever they
want to be by not continuing to spread the mindset behind the Social Role Theory. I can do my
part in raising strong young women who don’t see limitations to who they can be when they
grow up.

Resources
Computer Science Education Week. (n.d.). Data/computer science facts. Retrieved from
www.csedweek.org/resources/datacs-facts

Eagly, A.H., & Wood, W. (2016). Social role theory of sex differences. In N.A. Naples, R.C.
Hoogland, M. Wickramasinghe, and W.C.A. Wong (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of
gender and sexuality studies (pp. 2254-2257). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Margolis, J., Goode, J., & Bernier, D. (2011). The need for computer science. Educational
Leadership, 68(5), 68–72.

Martin, N.L., Soares, A. (2016). Organizing an App Inventor summer camp for middle school
girls: What the experts don’t tell you. Information Systems Education Journal, 14(5), pp. 80-90.

Vardi, M.Y. (2018). How we lost the women in computing. Communications of the ACM, 61(5),
p. 9