Computer Science
Interview with Stefanie Schmidt
OVERVIEW
The world of computers has expanded beyond belief in the last few years. Practically everything we do -- communicate, shop, write, read -- is done on computers. People often take for granted the intelligent minds that produce the programs and websites we use everyday. When we looked behind the scenes to see who these people were, we found that most of the programming population is male. Women are just as capable of succeeding in these professions, but the interest does not seem to be there for them.
In our research project, we discovered some causes and clues as to why more women are not in this wonderful field. Studies have shown that the achievement levels of females in computer science courses are equivalent, or even higher, than those of their male classmates, but the enrollment rates for females is significantly lower. We found that childhood habits, lack of confidence and role models and weariness of personal success were profound explanations given by women.
Join us as we take a look at these reasons and other aspects of the computing world. We hope you are as enlightened as we were, and let's all work to get more women in the field.