Women in Computing

You would think that since I am a woman and I am a computer scientist I would know what makes it so difficult for many women to enter the same field. To be honest, I often feel clueless about it--even my own obstacles. I’ve been an officer of the Society of Women Engineers, a member of the Women in Computer Science Club, I even won an award from Google in memory of a famous activist for women in computing, Anita Borg, and yet as I have pondered on the phenomenon of the low percentage of women in the field, I often come up answerless. I thoroughly enjoyed Paul de Palma’s article about why women do not go into computing. He brought up several points that had never occurred to me and yet seemed to accurately identify some of my feelings. To add one hindrance that he did not mention, I think the pressure to succeed can deter potential women engineers. In computer science I often feel that there is much more on my shoulders than simply my own learning or my own grade. I feel that if I don’t succeed, a generation of women behind me may potentially fail. It sounds cliché and hyperbolic , but when I fail I often wonder if people think it’s because I am a woman and, as a result of my failure, I’m ruining the odds that women in the field will receive support in the future. I do not know if this is a common problem for other women in the field, or even minorities in other fields, but I think it is a psychological matter and one that will be overcome with time rather than percentage requirements or curriculum changes.

As a side note, I do want to mention that I feel wonderfully supported and encouraged as a minority in my field. While there are drawbacks that may discourage women, I have received assistance and encouragement that has provided just as much, if not more, reinforcement from the positive side.