Women in Computing: Challenges & Opportunities

1. IEEE Computer SocietyWomen in Computing: Challenges and Opportunities Jill I. Gostin IEEE CS MGAB Vice Chair, Geographic Activities jgostin@ieee.org April 27, 2017

2. Why are we talking about this? • A recent study showed that by 2025, the number of women in the computing workforce will decline to 22%; in 1995 that number was 37%! • Women in STEM careers continue to struggle to get into leadership positions • Women leave high-tech companies at 2x the rate of their male colleagues • And every woman has a story

3. Outline • The challenge of growing our numbers • The challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated work environment • The chance to turn challenges into opportunities • The road ahead

4. Source: National Science Foundation, American Bar Association, American Association of Medical Colleges Credit: Quoctrung Bui/NPR

5. The Challenge of Growing our Numbers • Why do girls choose STEM fields? • Parent influence, parent in the field • Inspirational teacher / mentor • Liking challenges / problem solving • Wanting to be different (big fish in small pond)

6. The Challenge of Growing our Numbers • Why do women choose a STEM career? • A path with many options • Good employment opportunities • Strong salaries, flexible work options • Enjoyable, Making an Impact • Work/life balance options, good work environment

7. The Challenge of Growing Our Numbers • How do we encourage women to go into the profession • Better awareness of what we do • Improve career advice – wide range of options, impact, ability to change your focus • Change the way girls/women think (perfection is not required) – it’s not just for boys/men! • MENTOR

8. The Challenge of Growing Our Numbers • Why do women leave? • work conditions – feeling misunderstood, unappreciated • work-life integration (the “family penalty”) • lost interest in the work • organizational climate

9. The Challenge of Growing Our Numbers • How to keep women: • encourage diversity on all teams • Include women in key leadership positions • implement unconscious bias training and processes • provide mentoring opportunities • offer professional development training & events • provide tools and resources to help address women’s issues, such as flex time, telecommuting, maternity/paternity leave, vacation time

10. The Challenge of Growing Our Numbers:Some of the numbers! • In 1984, 37 percent of computer science graduates were women. Today, women represent 12 percent of all computer science graduates. • Women make up half the US workforce, but only 25 percent of jobs in technical or computing fields. • 58% of women working in computing who went to college did not major in computing as undergraduates. • Portrayals of men as computer scientists and engineers in family films outnumber portrayals of women by 14.25 to 1

11. universal access to computing in schools will not address the gender gap. Only by tailoring courses to girls’ specific needs can we boost their commitment to computing. This report recommends a fresh approach that could increase the number of women in computing to 3.9 million by 2025. That would lift their share from 24% to 39% of the computing workforce The Challenge of Growing Our Numbers:More Numbers • WhiteHouse.gov estimates that there could be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the U.S. by 2018. • In India, 37% of computing and business process management workers were women in 2015 • Within the high growth area of analytics, the U.S. has a shortage of professionals, while China and India have a surplus.

12. The Challenge of Being a Woman in a Male Dominated Environment • Every woman has a story about a challenge she has faced • Vocal women are viewed as overly aggressive • Less vocal women are viewed as timid, or even out of their league • Women use language that men view as weak • Women socialize differently than men and are often excluded from the “after work” get-togethers

13. The Challenge of Being a Woman in a Male Dominated Environment • Women often have more of the daily-task responsibilities at home, and therefore aren’t as readily available for travel / working late / etc. • 26% of female board members in the U.S. have tech experience, versus 17% of men. • Women tend to underestimate their abilities and their performance, while men tend to overestimate both – but performance levels are equivalent!

14. The Chance to Turn Challenges into Opportunities • Tell your story, and the lessons you learned from it • Change your point of view – it’s not a challenge, it’s a temporary obstacle • The more you speak up, the easier it will become. Be vocal. But also listen, and respond. • Don’t be ignored – if you are, speak up again say that you want to discuss your suggestion • Use your ability to be vocal to advocate for yourself and others

15. The Chance to Turn Challenges into Opportunities • If you are someone that very rarely speaks up – make it memorable. Be a woman of few words… but they are words of high impact. • Be assertive with your words. Confidence convinces. • Be the one to suggest social events – that way you can organize some to fit your schedule and commitments Listen l Think l Speak l Listen

16. The Road Ahead:Why Work in Computing / STEM? • Change the World – go read the stories! • Work/Life Balance options • Tech companies are more likely to have maternity and paternity leave • Good salaries, and many jobs available • Skillsets are widely applicable, offering many career options and flexibility

17. The Road Ahead: I’m already in a STEM career • Serve as a mentor • Share your experiences and your story, enhancing the computing profession • Encourage and engage others through participation in your professional society • Actively work to help minimize unconscious bias (there are preventative measures!)

18. What Lies Ahead:EVENTS • IEEE WIE ILC, May 23-24, San Jose, CA “Lead Beyond” • IEEE WIE 2017 Summits in multiple locations around the world! • Grace Hopper Celebration, Oct 4-6, Orlando, FL • Many local events, use Google and your network to find opportunities

19. IEEE Computer SocietyWomen In Computing Questions? Ideas?

20. Thanks for attending!Women in Computing: Challenges and Opportunities Jill I. Gostinjgostin@ieee.org 27 April 2017

21. References • http://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2014/0512/Why-so-few-women-in-tech-Seven-challenges-and-potential-solutions/The-amount-of-women-graduating-with-computer-science-degrees-has-drastically-decreased-in-the-last-three-decades.-One-solution-Girls-Who-Code • https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/gendergap/www/papers/sigcse97/sigcse97.html • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_computing • http://ideas.ted.com/4-reasons-women-dont-thrive-in-tech-and-what-we-should-do-about-them/ • http://fortune.com/2015/04/20/the-pervasive-bias-against-female-computer-science-majors/ • http://www.computerscience.org/resources/women-in-computer-science/ • http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/02/25/women-missing-out-on-lucrative-careers-in-computer-science/ • http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/28/359419934/who-studies-what-men-women-and-college-majors • Korn, Melissa, “Science, Engineering Studies Are Still a Hard Sell to Women”, wsj.com, April 11, 2017 • Accenture, Girls Who Code, “Cracking the Gender Code, Get 3X More Women in Computing”, 2016 • Ashcraft, Catherine, Brad McLain, Elizabeth Eger, “Women in Tech: The Facts”, ncwit.org, 2016