Dive Brief:
- The National Center for Women & Information Technology has identified the University of Washington as a school making significant strides in bringing women into computer science.
- The New York Times reports that 30% of the university’s bachelor’s degrees in computer science last year went to women, up from 20% in 2010 and 15%, closer to the current national average, in 2005.
- The university started offering computer science workshops and field trips for elementary and high school teachers and students, revamped its intro to computer science courses to make them more inviting to newcomers, and worked to build a sense of community for female computer science majors, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Computer science is one of the most extremely gendered fields in all of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. The American Association of University Women put out a report in March that explores the reasons why women are so underrepresented in computer science and engineering, adding to the historical context with recommendations for change. Research shows diverse groups are more innovative, a key factor in the urgency to bring more women into the field.