https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2021/09/Stories/why-is-computer-science-unpopular-among-women
- Why is the gender imbalance in computer science such a problem in the field? This is a problem since having a diverse mentality can yield better results than having a narrow scope of thought. Having a more well-rounded team dynamic. Just because someone is a specific gender does not mean they can be valuable in the decision-making process or even be successful in a field.
- The article talks about several possible causes of the gender gap. Which one of these do you think is the biggest contributor? Interest and expectations of success from the confidence in their own abilities. That people tend to choose careers that make use of their strongest abilities. Women might gravitate away from IT since they posess multiple cognitive abilities at the same level so there are additional oppotunities to them. The article said it best “Yeah, I can do this thing, but I’m just better at this other thing, so I’m gonna go do that.”, we tend to gravitate to what we do best instead of causing undue stress on ourselves. The fear of failing in a role that we are not well-versed in can have a debilitating effect. Role congruity theory talks about people choose their career path based on what society has put value on which tends to be gender stereotyped. Men generally gravitate to what the article stated as agentic roles, while women to communal roles. Which in a nutshell would be men are looking for power, while women are looking for fulfillment. As we progress through the years it seems women are more willing to breach through both the agentic and communal roles while men have an aversion to traditionally female roles. Lastly, the ‘innate’ abilities and sterotypes play a role, whereas women would want to place more weight on a career that aligns more with their natural talents.
- Is there any other factor you think could play a role? The entire mentality men have with women in the workplace could deter women for wanting to be in the environment and that will not let them grow. Being able to see past the gender identity and see the person as a contributing factor would help break the barriers.
