Coding Together: Empowering Young Women Through Computer Science Education; Engineering Diversity: Addressing Barriers to Engineering Gender Diversity and Mitigation Strategies

There is a widespread gender imbalance in engineering and computing fields, with women being largely outnumbered by men. This issue has been shaped by cultural, institutional, and educational forces rather than solely by individual preferences. The lack of gender diversity in engineering and computing fields can negatively impact innovation, and limits perspectives in technological design. This can lead to products that do not serve underrepresented communities and also leads to women feeling unwelcome in academic and professional spaces. My technical research involved creating and participating in a community outreach coding club at a local all-girls middle school. This work aims to foster early interest and confidence in computing. My STS research served as an investigation into the underrepresentation of women in engineering, including barriers faced and how certain colleges have mitigated these barriers for women students. Together, my research topics work towards reducing this gender gap in engineering to create a more inclusive and productive profession.

My technical research included designing and implementing a sustainable coding program at a local all-girls middle school. The school lacked coding classes in their curriculum, meaning that the young girls were not getting early exposure or mentorship in computer science. In this program, several women college mentors would travel in-person to the school to teach coding fundamentals and spark interest in computing. We used a mentorship/peer-based model to encourage collaboration to create an open and non-competitive environment for the girls. Using these lessons and student feedback, we found that there was a noticeable increase of problem-solving skills and awareness of women in STEM fields from the students. Also, an interest in other fields of engineering was discovered. College mentors also reported that the club helped increase their confidence levels in computing and commitment to remaining in the field of computer science. These outcomes demonstrate that early, community-based interventions can have a meaningful influence on keeping women interested and engaged with engineering disciplines.

My STS research explored how in engineering women have been marginalized through institutional practices and through the design of products themselves. I applied the Social Construction of Technology framework to identify and analyze the key social groups involved in case studies where products were not designed with a diverse audience in mind. These products were not developed by a diverse team, and thus had consequences that negatively impacted minority groups, highlighting the importance of team diversity. I utilized literature reviews to examine barriers such as gender discrimination, gendered perceptions of engineering, and lack of self-confidence, that contribute to the persistent gender gap in engineering. Finally, I studied colleges that have successfully mitigated these barriers and found that mentorship programs, peer interactions, and exposure to women in engineering helped make it easier for women to thrive in engineering. My findings emphasized the need for reform in how engineering education is taught and understood.

My STS research demonstrates how deeply ingrained the gender disparity is in our lives and how much work is needed to be done to address it. Highlighting the issue as important contributes to the solution of the general problem, and providing examples of what can be done to help reduce this disparity will encourage more schools and engineering spaces to practice those strategies. My research was sometimes limited by small sample sizes in the studies I examined, so further research should attempt to replicate these findings across larger groups of women. In addition, future research should consider those who do not identify as either a man or a woman to provide a more robust understanding of gender in engineering. Also, research investigating how other factors such as race and socioeconomic status impact this gender imbalance in engineering should be carried out. My technical research yielded an introductory computer science curriculum suited for middle schoolers. The curriculum has been effective in increasing students’ interest in computing and increasing confidence levels. This program offers a concrete example of outreach inspiring young girls to consider STEM pathways in higher education and future careers. Future researchers can use this program to explore how an early intervention club can be scaled to different schools and communities to combat the gender disparity.

I would like to thank my STS professor, Caitlyn Wylie, who provided support throughout the STS components of the thesis. I extend a special thanks to the college mentors and those involved who gave their time to supporting the coding club. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends and classmates for their feedback and help throughout this thesis process.

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Technical Advisor: Briana Morrison
STS Advisor: Caitlin Wylie