International Perspective

of Women and Computer

Science Elizabeth S. Adams ,James Madison U., USA

Orit Hazzan, Technion – IIT, Israel

Hrafn Loftsson, Reykjavik University, Iceland

Alison Young, UNITEC, New Zealand

Introduction• The topic of women in computer science

has recently been getting attention:

– Special issue of the SIGCSE Bulletin inroads

(Vol. 34, Number 2, June 2002).

– Margolis, J., & Fisher, A. (2002). Unlocking the

clubhouse – Women in computing. MIT press.

• The panel aims to highlight the topic from

multi-national perspective.

Panel Overview

• Panelists’ presentations (12 minutes each)

• Discussion with the audience (25 minutes)

– Identify common interests

– Check an international

• agenda

• research framework

with respect to the topic

Panelists

Elizabeth S. Adams ,James Madison U., USA

Orit Hazzan, Technion – IIT, Israel

Hrafn Loftsson, Reykjavik University, Iceland

Alison Young, UNITEC, New Zealand

Overview

• The Israeli hi-tech industry

• Israeli women in CS

• Tmura (Change) Project activities

Hi-Tech in Israel

• Population of Israel: 6,458 Million

• In the 1990s, Israel emerged as a leading

center for technology start-ups and innovation

• In the hi-tech peak:

– About 3000 startups.

– July 2000: There were 700 openings for every

software engineer.

Hi-Tech in Israel – Why?

• National security and military needs:

– Many of Israel's high-tech entrepreneurs got their

start in the Israel Defense Forces

– The IDF influence of the Israeli hi-tech

• Technological influence: reserve forces

• Social influence: machoism, network, improvisation

• Immigration of Russian engineers from the

former Soviet Union in last decade.

– Highest number of engineers per capita (worldwide)

Hi-Tech in Israel

Currently:

– The worldwide economic crisis

– The political situation in the Middle East

Data from Israel

•High schools:

– Levels, other subjects, different schools

•Universities:

– Technion, Bar-Ilan

Israel: CS Matriculation exam - % of female

5 units (high) 3 units (low)

26.6% 53.2%

51.9%27.1%

51.9%27.3%

46.4%26.2%

46.0%27.3%

47.0%29.5%

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

Data from Israeli high schools:

Matriculation exams ‘99 - Highest

level

BibleLiterature

MathCS

Boys

2,538

(39%)

757

(16%)

5,602

(57%)

3,990

(72%)

Girls

3,992

(61%)

4,041

(84%)

4,179

(43%)

1,538

(28%)

Data from Israel• 3 schools

• The data were gathered by teachers– Public (Jewish) sector

– Arab sector

– Religious sector

• The previous data (25% learn 5 units) is not

reflected in all schools

• Specific sectors change the balance.

• Note: Not all schools were checked. The observation is

correct with respect to all schools that were checked.

Data from Israel Number of students who learn 5 units

Public high-school in Tel-Aviv

Graduation year

Male students

Female students

19973312

19983310

1999299

2000326

2001355

Data from IsraelNumber of students who learn 5 units

Arab high-school in Nazareth

Graduation year

Male students

Female students

19972826

19983130

19992834

20003634

20013531

Data from Israel

Number of students who learn 5 units

Religious high-school in the north of Israel

Graduation year

Male students

Female students

19971514

19981213

19991216

200086

200158

Data from IsraelTechnion: CS graduates

year #graduates #women %women

19971272318

19981622415

19991924423

20002425221

20012727026

Data from IsraelBar-Ilan university

• Religious university

• 2002: Major in Computer Science

– Total: 337 student

– # of female students: 128

– % of female students: 38%

Data from the World

– USA: The shrinking pipeline

1994-1983 2002-1993

– Mauritius: 2K km from Africa (talk in the next session) High and increased %s (~50%)

37

28

18

16

Data from the World• Similar to US: Scandinavia, German countries.

• Similar to Mauritius: Greece,Turkey

• Does the phenomenon of minority of

women in Computer Science

characterize cultures that are influenced

by the US?

• If yes – why?

Tmura (Change) Project activities

• Data collection (by us and by

teachers)

• Workshops for teachers

• Interviews

• Questionnaires

• Class Observations

Teacher workshop: Activities

GirlsBoysBoth genders

Encourage

Discourage

Factors that encourage/discourage girls and boys from choosing CS.

Some data• Example from one of the workshops:

# of factors that influence the selection of CS in high school

GirlsBoysBoth genders

Encourage 014

Discourage713

Some Data

GirlsBoysBoth genders

Encourage 0

• Hi-tech• Bill Gates

• Cool

• A lot of money

• Dynamic career

Discourage

7 Next Slide

• Requires a lot of work

• High requirements• The hi-tech crisis

• Example from one of the workshops:Factors that influence the selection of CS in high school

Some Data

Factors that discourage girls from learning

CS:

• A technological field

• The male image of the field

• Culture (boys get Lego, girls get Barbie)

• Principals, teachers, advisors’ influence

• Requires a lot of work

• Fear of learning a topic that they will not succeed

in

• Connection to the kind of work in the future

Findings

• Teacher explanations: Why do girls not choose CS?

– Emotional (e.g., fear from failure)

– Cognitive (e.g., it’s difficult)

– Pedagogical (e.g., the learning environment)

– Social (e.g., the nature of the profession)

• Teacher explanations of these kinds appear in

all activities.

Findings

• Central factor: The Future Workplace

– The tendency to examine the future

workplace is unique for CS (usually it does

not exist in Mathematics, Biology, Physics).

– eXtreme Programming:

• Agile SDM

• 12 practices, one of them is 40-hour week

• Brooks’ law