We do not need to perform an expensive study to determine that women are less likely to major in computer science. All we need to do is look around a typical computer science class. Some argue that girls are scared of math. Others that claim that society breeds disinterest by forcing young girls to play with Barbie. Discrimination is another proposed as a cause for the disparity. Not many dare posit that there may be some inherent difference between men and women that cause them to be interested in different subjects.
Now before you get out your “politically incorrect” branding iron, please understand what I am saying. I am not suggesting that discrimination should be a policy of academic institutions nor of businesses. I do not claim that women are somehow inherently less capable of software engineering than are men (I know some very capable computer-oriented women). What I am saying is that the gap in the number of women versus the number of men who go into computer science is not necessarily something we need to “fix”. Let's make a level playing field. Let any who are crazy enough to want to come, come. Computer science need not be an “all boys club”, but women who choose to enter this field should do so for the same that men do, for the love of code, not for the sake of filling a quota.
Inspiration for this post:
http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/sept03/wyden.html
http://cpms.byu.edu/speeches/family-education-careers
De Palma, Paul. "Why Women Avoid Computer Science". Communications of the ACM. Jun 2001. Vol. 44 No. 6. pp. 27-29
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