ABSTRACT
The most recently available statistics indicate that in the United States in 2012, only 18.2% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science (CS) was conferred on women, continuing a downward trend from the high statistics in 1984 when women received 37.1% of CS bachelor’s degrees.[1]
Although female underrepresentation exists in other science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines such as engineering and the physical sciences (see Beyer[2]), none have experienced the kind of precipitous decline in women’s presence experienced by CS. Although the downward trend seems to have leveled off now, a situation where less than one in five B.S. degrees in CS in the United States is conferred on women is disconcerting. The vexing question is why so few women pursue undergraduate degrees in CS despite the lucrative careers that abound in this field. This question has received much research attention over the past 20 years, epitomized by the publication of the highly influentialUnlocking the Clubhouse.[3] Although we are far from having all the answers, progress has been made in understanding the major factors that impede women’s entry to CS.
