Women’s studies 545February 26,

2007

Angie Witte

“”The Anatomy of Interest: Women in UndergraduateComputer Science” by Margolis, Fisher, and Miller

“The Computer Race Goes to Class” by Jonathan Sterne

Androcentric norms are cultural and societal norms based on males and the experiences of men and are crucial factors to be considered when investigating the economic and educational opportunities for women.

Institutional sexism is discrimination against women within our societies institutions such as education and the workplace.

“Caring About Connections: Gender and Computing” and “The Computer Goes to Class” are two articles that explore these two phenomena.

•In 2000 Margolis, Fisher, and Miller conducted a study of women entering computer science programs at the noted Carnegie Mellon University, which is ranked among the top in the nation

•They were intent on uncovering the reasons why young women enter these programs with such enthusiasm and enjoyment and then drop out of the program at alarming rates.

Computers are not the only thing

these women are

interested in

Computers with a people oriented

purpose to solve real-

world problems

Computers as a source

of employment…not just for

fun

Use the Computer to connect

to other fields

The computer is not seen as a toy but as a utility to

“help out”

BiasedSocial

Environment

BiasedSocial

Environment

Nexus of Confidence

And Interest

Nexus of Confidence

And Interest

NonhackerMale

NonhackerMale

BoyWonder

Icon

BoyWonder

Icon NormOf

Interest

NormOf

Interest

NormOf

Knowledge

NormOf

Knowledge

The College

Experience

The College

Experience

Male Attachment

Tocomputing

Male Attachment

Tocomputing

Gender and Initial InterestIn Computers

Gender and Initial InterestIn Computers

The Programming

gods

The Programming

gods

Women inprogram

Women inprogram

Gender and Initial Interest

Upon entering the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science women describe feelings of pride and excitement

These women were strong in their math and science skills

They took pleasure in programming

They enjoy problem solving, puzzles, and logical-thinking tasks and describe it as a sense of accomplishment or a “rush”

Male Attachment to Computing (Unlike females)

Males in this study describe a “love” for the computer

Males start at an early age

Computing is part of their identity and they are attracted to the computer

Males want to figure out how the computer works

LIVING AMONG “PROGRAMMING GOD’S”

Students expressed that being admitted into one of the country’s top 3 programming schools was quite an achievement

THE NORM OF KNOWLEDGE

Psychological, pedagogical, and socialization-related factors

Women’s confidence was eroded after arrival

Women perceived themselves as “slower” than their male counter parts

Women are shown to underestimate their abilities

Often males have more experience

Males may inflate how much they know or be overly confident

Males attribute their successes and failures in a self-affirming way…unlike women

THE NORM OF INTEREST

The status hierarchyWizardsWheelsHackersUsersLosers

Being “in sync” with the culture promotes intense focus and love of the computer

For females, the above are not as crucial

Women do not share the same type of interest

They do not eat, sleep, dream, and live computers all day long

This creates a feeling of inadequacy

“I dream

in code”

BOY WONDER ICON

•THE ASSOCIATION OF MALE TRAITS WITH SUCCESS IN SCIENCE•THE COMPUTING CULTURE REFLECTS A HISTORY AND LEGACY OF ACTUAL “BOY WONDERS”•MALE CHARACTERISTIC OF TOTAL ABSORPTION BY COMPUTERS•EXPECTATIONS BASED ON MALE BEHAVIORS AND PROJECTED ONTO WOMEN AS A MEASUREMENT OF THEIR INTEREST OR ABILITY •COUNTER-POINT

•STAYING UP ALL NIGHT DOING SOMETHING IS A SIGN OF SINGLE MINDEDNESS, IMMATURITY, AND TYPICAL OF YOUNG, MALE BEHAVIOR

The nonhacker maleMANY MALES DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS BEING DIFFERENT THAN THE “HACKER” STEREOTYPE

THOUGH THEY RESIST TOTAL ABSORPTION IN COMPUTING THESE MALES DO NOT QUESTION THEIR ABILITY

THEY SELDOM FEEL THE NEED TO CONFORM OR CHANGE TO MATCH THE NORM

DO NOT FEEL DISCONNECTED FORM THE OTHER MALES

MALES WITH LESS EXPERIENCE DO NOT FEEL ANGUISH OVER WHETHER OR NOT THEY “HAVE WHAT IT TAKES”

WHY IS THIS???

•COMPUTER SCIENCE ASSUMES THAT MEN WILL SUCCEED

•SUCCESS IS LINKED TO STEREOTYPE BASED ON COMMON MALE PETTERN OF DESIRE FOR, INTEREST IN, AND ATTACHMENT TO COMPUTING

•THIS SAME CULTURE DOES NOT ASSUME THAT WOMEN WILL CONFORM…NO DEFAULT EXPECTATION OF SUCCESS

•GENDER SOCIALIZATION FACTORS•CHIPS AWAY AT WOMEN’S SENSE OF CONFIDENCE AND BELONGING IN THE FIELD

Lack of experience

Due to lack of Interest?

Lack of interest due

To lack of confidence

Difficulty due to lack

Of experience?

Lack of confidenceDue to lack of

Interest?

NEXUS OF CONFIDENCE AND INTEREST

What about

intrinsic interest?

Gender socializatio

n

Cultural artifacts of

the field

Individual psychology

Construct and/or undermine

women’s sense of their own intrinsic

interest

BIASED SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

•COMMENTS FROM MALE PEERS

•“YOU ARE ONLY HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE A WOMAN”

•SYMPTOMATIC OF A MORE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM

•LOWER EXPECTATIONS FOR FEMALES

•THE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPE ABOUT ONE’S GROUP FORCES THE INDIVIDUAL TO FEEL RESPONSIBLE…AND THEREFORE DOES NOT WANT TO CONFIRM THE STEREOTYPE

SOLUTIONS:•KEY AREAS FOR INTERVENTION

•CULTURE•CURRICULUM•CONFIDENCE

•WOMEN MUST NOT BE EXPECTED TO MODEL THEMSELVES AFTER THE STEREOTYPICAL MALE COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT

•DEPARTMENTS NEED TO ESTABLISH THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE VALID WAYS TO “BE IN” AND BE INTERESTED IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

•STRESS TO STUDENTS THAT ACHIEVEMENTS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE IS MORE MULTIDIMENSIONAL THAN THE STANDARD “BOY HACKER”

•EMPHASIZE THAT PRIOR EXPERIENCE IS NOT A CRITICAL ISSUE

“The computer race goes to class”

Jonathan Sterne

•Is the internet raceless??

•How did race get written out of computing?

•How did whiteness become the default setting for online culture?

•If white people I the United States had a distinct advantage over people of color in learning computing and gaining access to computers, then that would go along way

toward explaining why the Internet remains predominantly and presumptively white.

•Computer literacy…A CRITIQUE OF LANGUAGE•The ability to control machines•The language of literacy can easily degenerate into the project of creating consumer populations for communication technologies•Being able to make use of programs•Means little in the way of programming skills•Focus on schools as the agents of this new literacy

•Unequal access would have significant impact on children’s access to computers and computer experience

•Race based inequalities exacerbated in the 1980’s

SO, WHAT ABOUT RACE?

•RACE IS NOT SIMPLY A PLACEHOLDER FOR CLASS

•THE RACE GAP ON THE INTERNET WOULD BE NARROWER IF NONWHITE CHILDREN HAD THE SAME ACCESS TO COMPUTERS IN SCHOOLS THAT THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS DID

•ATTITUDE TOWARDS DIFFERNTIAL ACCESS: IT WAS SOMEBODY ELSE’S PROBLEM

BUSINESS REPORTING

SCHOOLS AS THE NEXT BIG MARKET FOR COMPUTERSDIFFERENTIAL ACCESS WAS HARDLY A CONCERNRACE AND CLASS WERE COLLAPSED AS A SINGLE KIND OF

DIFFERENCEDURING THE SAME PERIOD, EDUCATION SCHOLARS WERE

FLOODED WITH BOOKS ON HOW TO INTEGRATE COMPUTERS INTO SCHOOLS

THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE DISCUSSION OF LIMITED RESOURCES

THE TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 1982 PROPOSED•CORPORATIONS DONATED COMPUTERS•TAX BREAK FOR DONATIONS•HR 5573/TECHNOLOGY ACTOF 1982

•WOULD HAVE TEMPORARILY LOOSENED CORPORATE TAX REGULATIONS•ALLOWED AN UNUSUALLY HIGH LEVEL OF COMPUTER DONATIONS TO SCHOOLS•HEARINGS ADDRESS QUESTIONS OF DIFFERENTIAL ACCESS AND RACE•AN INTERNAL THREAT

•ASIANS•JAPANES

•OPPOSITION•DEPT OF TREASURY

A COMPUTER TO EVERY SCHOOL

•HR 5573 NEVER MADE IT INTO LAW•COMPUTER COMPANIES INCREASINGLY BEGAN TO TARGET NONWHITE AND POOR POPULATIONS•APPLE’S PHILANTHROPIC GOALS WERE COMPLEMENTARY TO THEIR COMMERCIAL GOALS

•APPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL-AFFAIRS GRANTS WERE DECIDED ON THE UNIQUENESS OF THE APPLICATION

•POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD USE OR INTEREST•ADEQUACY OF PROCEDURES SPEICIFIED TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT DEGREE OF POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO EDUCATION OR TRAINING•CAPABLILITY OF ACHIEVING EXPECTED RESULTS•REALITY OF TIME ESTIMATES•EVIDENCE OF COOPERATION/COORDINATION•POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE PROJECT

•“OBJECTIVE” STANDARDS CAN HIDE RACE BIASES

IN CONCLUSION

•“IF ‘THE MARKET’-THAT MYTHIC, SUPPOSEDLY

GODLIKE DRINVING FORCE OF CAPITALISM-EVEN

APPEARS TO BE OFFERING ALLEVIATION TO RACIAL

INJUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES, A GLOBAL

PERSPECTIVE SHOULD CLARIFY OUR VISION: FREE

MARKET CAPITALISM EXTENDS RAICAL INJUSTICE; IT

DOESN’T ALLEVIATE IT.”