What is one change you think you should be made in your field, or to society as a whole, to increase the number of women in Computer Science?

First, let’s have a look at one of the changes that may soon be happening. In her book “A Practical Guide to Gender Diversity in Computer Science Faculty," Diana Franklin argues that, even though girls and boys obtain similar scores in high school math and science courses, there exists a gap in confidence level and risk-taking ability that puts girls at a disadvantage. Therefore, when the time comes to enroll in university programs, girls have a tendency to gravitate toward subjects with which they are familiar, such as chemistry, biology, and math, since they have already gained confidence in their ability to succeed in these subjects, hence keeping the risk taking at bay. The author concludes that this is one of the reasons for the significant gender imbalance in student population at university in the fields of engineering and CS. However, this may be about to change, as the Government of British Columbia is introducing a CS curriculum at the high school level. Being exposed to CS courses in high school will increase girls’ familiarity with this subject, and their success in these courses may give them the confidence to pursue CS in university and perhaps consider a career in this field.

My opinion is that, for the above change to fully take place, our whole society will need to shift its attitude when it comes to gender roles. This is, no doubt, quite an endeavor, which must involve everyone: parents, educators, enterprises, government, etc. Perhaps we can start this shift in attitude by becoming aware of the views we hold about gender roles and asking ourselves if these views are justified. Whenever we find ourselves thinking, “a particular task would be better accomplished by a person of the other gender," let’s ask ourselves: is this a fact or a belief we have acquired from our society? If it is the latter, can we embrace a wider perspective on possible gender accomplishment? Changing our attitude in relation to gender roles will lead to healthier role models for girls, the kind that promote confidence and acceptance of one self: the “we can do it too” kind.

• Highlighting the accomplishments of our female CS students, alumni, postdocs and faculty members.
• Supporting the Women in Computing Science (WiCS) group in the School of Computing Science.
• Offering, in association with the Faculty of Applied Sciences’ (FAS) Advancement Office, sponsorships to female CS students to various STEM and CS (diversity-related) conferences.
• Supporting FAS outreach events for girls in elementary, middle and high school (e.g., the Technovation competition and summer camps).
• Collaborating with K-12 teachers in relation to the delivery of the new ADST curriculum, focusing on gender-inclusive activities.