Not even well begun: women in computing courses

Concern is often expressed about the underrepresentation of women in scientific and technological programmes in higher education. This concern prompted us to undertake a study of Australian computing science courses at the top level of professional accreditation. Our concern was with the numbers of women enrolling and how women fared in the early stages of the courses. The work from our study provides the basis for this paper in which we examine the ways in which women tend to be disadvantaged in computing courses. We discuss the issues both in terms of factors which are identifiable from the perspective of the discipline at large and those which are associated specifically with the presentation of courses within institutions of higher education. At the discipline level we discuss the apparent technology-centredness of computing, the emphasis accorded mathematics as well as narrow problem solving skills and the undervaluing of broadly based problem solving and communication skills. In the institutional context, our concerns lie with the consequences of gender stereotyping on attitudes and interactions, the significance of prior computing knowledge and experience as well as of mathematical background, and the way the curriculum is structured and organised.