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> Figures vary, but somewhere from 20% to 29% of currently working programmers are female. > Less than 12% of Computer Science bachelor's degrees were awarded

by klipt 13y ago

> Figures vary, but somewhere from 20% to 29% of currently working programmers are female. > Less than 12% of Computer Science bachelor's degrees were awarded to women at US PhD-granting institutions in 2010 So men who study computer science are actually less likely than their female classmates to end up working as programmers?

leoedin 13y ago
Or, women who don't study computer science are more likely to end up programming. I have no idea where those statistics came from, but it's worth remembering that a lot of people who write software in their day job didn't study computer science. People with science and engineering backgrounds often end up software developers through necessity.
lmm 13y ago
Historically there were more women doing computer science, so the employment figures aren't so far out compared to the population with CS degrees.
dspillett 13y ago
I think it is partly a case of being more determined. Many people drift into what they end up studying (even today with it costing so much: the amount of people getting into a mountain of debt working towards a degree they ended up in "just because" always surprises me), and with the social pressures of the past women have been far less likely to coast into sciency courses then men. That means more of the one who are in those courses are there because the specifically want to follow that path, and have the brass ones to help fight the subconscious (and sometimes more open) sexism that exists in many people on the matter, rather than just because they need to do something and it seemed a reasonable choice at the time. The people who have planned out their path this way (men and women) are more likely to end up following it into a successful career, the others (of which most are men) are more likely then the former set to eventually decide on (or otherwise end up in) something else. This should fade over time - I don't know about other sciency/engineering areas but the "not a place for women" thing seems to be rapidly falling away in the techie circles I inhabit (though as I'm not a women and not the most observant person on the planet, there might still be stuff there that I'm not at all concious of).
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ronaldx 13y ago
The skew in CS Bachelor's degrees has been getting worse recently.

by klipt 13y ago

leoedin 13y ago

Or, women who don't study computer science are more likely to end up programming. I have no idea where those statistics came from, but it's worth remembering that a lot of people who write software in their day job didn't study computer science. People with science and engineering backgrounds often end up software developers through necessity.

lmm 13y ago

Historically there were more women doing computer science, so the employment figures aren't so far out compared to the population with CS degrees.

dspillett 13y ago

I think it is partly a case of being more determined. Many people drift into what they end up studying (even today with it costing so much: the amount of people getting into a mountain of debt working towards a degree they ended up in "just because" always surprises me), and with the social pressures of the past women have been far less likely to coast into sciency courses then men. That means more of the one who are in those courses are there because the specifically want to follow that path, and have the brass ones to help fight the subconscious (and sometimes more open) sexism that exists in many people on the matter, rather than just because they need to do something and it seemed a reasonable choice at the time. The people who have planned out their path this way (men and women) are more likely to end up following it into a successful career, the others (of which most are men) are more likely then the former set to eventually decide on (or otherwise end up in) something else. This should fade over time - I don't know about other sciency/engineering areas but the "not a place for women" thing seems to be rapidly falling away in the techie circles I inhabit (though as I'm not a women and not the most observant person on the planet, there might still be stuff there that I'm not at all concious of).

deleted 13y ago

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ronaldx 13y ago

The skew in CS Bachelor's degrees has been getting worse recently.