The worldwide scarcity of women studying or employed in ICT, or in computing related disciplines, continues to be a topic of concern for industry, the education sector and governments. Within Europe while females make up 46% of the workforce only 17% of IT staff are female (e-skills 2014).  A similar gender divide trend is repeated worldwide, with top technology employers in Silicon Valley, including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Apple reporting that only 30% of the workforce is female (Larson 2014).  Previous research into this gender divide suggests that young women in Secondary Education display a more negative attitude towards computing than their male counterparts (Sáinz & López-Sáez, 2009). One of the main reasons suggested for this has been the consequence of the historical marketing of computers as “toys for boys” (Hall, 2013).  It would appear that the negative female perception of computing has led to representatively low numbers of women studying ICT at a tertiary level and consequently an under representation of females within the ICT industry.     

In this study, we aim to 1) establish a baseline understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of Secondary Education pupils in regard to computing and 2) establish if young females in Secondary Education really do have a more negative attitude towards computing.

Our forthcoming research will then 1) develop and deliver an intervention whereby young females in Secondary Education are introduced to the fundamentals of computer programming in a fun and exciting manner and 2) establish if a young female’s attitude to computing changes as a result of the intervention.

In 2013, a local Northern Ireland examining board, CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment), introduced a new A-level specification entitled System Software Development (SSD). Encouraged by universities and industry this new curriculum teaches and assesses the fundamental concepts of computer programming, including Object Oriented Programming and Database Design. While SSD is only in its infancy, the level of female participation is worrying. In 2014 only 3% of those that attempted the initial yearly assessment were female.

At the tertiary level, the outlook is similarly bleak for young women. The combined undergraduate and postgraduate student gender statistics for the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Queen’s University Belfast reveal a Male: Female ratio of 78:22 (EEECS SWAN Application, 2011).

Even this ratio is bolstered slighted by one of the School’s courses, Business and Information Technologies (BIT), which has a high percentage of females (40% on average) in comparison to more traditional pure Computer Science courses which have a Male: Female ratio of 79:21 (EEECS SWAN Application, 2011).

These ratios are in stark contrast to that of Queen’s University as a whole. The university has a total of 24,000 students, with a much more favorable Male: Female ratio of 42:58 (Complete University Guide, 2015). In the context of Queen’s University, the dearth of female students is a problem that plagues Computing.

Computing at Queen’s University is by no means unique: it seems the odds are stacked against computing courses attracting young female students in any great numbers. Socially, computer scientists are still regarded a geeks (Carlson 2006) and the discipline is seen as both segregated and male-dominated (Prescott & Bogg, 2011). A perception that makes the authors most anxious is that science-based courses at university level may favour, even unwittingly, male students (Moss-Racusina et al 2012). As part of our further research we will seek to understand if there is such a bias is present in computer science locally. 

CCEA (2015), Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (response to information request, January 26, 2015) Complete University Guide (2015). Queen's University, Belfast – Complete University Guide (http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/queens-belfast Accessed on 26 January 2015) e-skills, 2014. The Women in IT Scorecard. Available from: http://www.e-skills.com/research/research-themes/women-in-it1/ EEECS SWAN Application (2011). Athena SWAN Bronze and Silver Department award application. School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast (2011). Larson, S. 2014. Survey Of Tech Giants Reaffirms Just How White And Male They Are Available at : http://readwrite.com/2014/06/26/google-facebook-yahoo-women-ethnic-diversity Hall, W 2013. Available at : http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2013/06/debate.cfm Milagros Sáinz, Mercedes López-Sáez (2009). Gender differences in computer attitudes and the choice of technology-related occupations in a sample of secondary students in Spain. Computers & Education 54 (2009) 578–587, Elsevier. Moss-Racusina et al (2012). Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2012) vol. 109 no. 41 Prescott, P, Bogg, J (2011). Segregation in a male-dominated industry: Women working in the computer games industry. (2011) Volume 3, Issue 1, International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology. Scott Carlson (2006). Wanted: Female Computer-Science Students. The Chronicle of Higher Education (2006).