Bulgaria is a very patriarchal country, but education up-to-and-including high-school was/is fitting for CS (math is required every year and it is a frequently

Bulgaria is a very patriarchal country, but education up-to-and-including high-school was/is fitting for CS (math is required every year and it is a frequently chosen concentration). The same applies to many eastern european countries, I assume. There is a lot of "sand in the opportunities engine" after that stage, so many smart young people prefer to get their undergraduate and graduate degrees elsewhere (Germany, US, etc). One of the teen girls I mentored just started working in Germany as a Software Engineer. Most of my classmates are abroad. For CS, a good math middle-school and high-school education and a fun component (competitions) seemed enough for the peers I know.