Women in Technology: Where are they going and why are they here?
Phillips, Clarissa M.
Studies have shown that the technology sector, or tech sector, in the American economy
is dominated by men, a phenomenon that has limited the diversity of thought present there; yet,
though they seem few in numbers, there are women in the tech space. The questions then become
where are they? How did they get here? And why?
Over the course of a year, I conducted research on women in the computer science
community, and in doing so have set out to answer two main questions: How do the women
involved in computing conceptualize the computer science community, and how does this
perception affect their desire to work in technology? In order to answer this question, I
conducted an ethnographic observation of the 2018 Grace Hopper Conference-the largest
gathering of women in computing in the world-as well as a series of interviews with women in
the entry level stages (less than 5 years) of a technology occupation. With this data, I am able to
make a number of observations about how women perceive the computer science community
and technology sector, as well as how that perception affects their desire to work in those worlds.
My research showed that some women in computer science are attracted to the need to creatively
solve problems, in addition to the job stability and unique benefits that are often associated with
these positions, but are unsatisfied with the minimal social interaction and explicit social impact.
As a result, they are not motivated to stay in the tech industry for a long period of time. This is
despite their viewing the community as a viable and even favorable career option for anyone
with an interest in innovation, no matter their previous experiences or background.
Consequently, I raise two structural changes that may help to increase the number of women who
go into and stay in technology: educating more women on the structure and value of computer
science (CS), thereby encouraging them to give the discipline a try, and evolving traditional
Developer roles to incorporate more social interaction and thoughtful design strategies.
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