Wednesday, November 12, 2014
11/13 Book Post 2
The book I selected for the second book assignment is called "Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing." This choice was inspired by our guest speaker who discussed women in computer science. It focuses around why women leave computer science and the attributes of those who stay. The topic that stuck most with me regards the drastic changes of women who leave computer science between one semester to the next. It shares the story of a woman with a 4.0 GPA who quit computer science after two semesters because she felt others in her classes caught onto the material faster than she did so she must not belong. The studies in the book show that women and men often perform the same in classes, however it is the student's self perception that is the determining factor in persistence with computer science. Statistically, the women in computer science classes feel less confident in their abilities than the men, and when they feel uncomfortable in the major they are much less likely to continue.
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That's really interesting. I remember feeling similarly in some of my introductory CS classes. I think I had that impression because there was always a group of students who had a ton of experience and would make comments and ask questions on topics beyond the scope of the discussion. I eventually realized that they were a (vocal) minority and stopped trying to compare myself like that. I wonder how we can best help everyone feel confident in their abilities because, as you mentioned, statistics don't support men being more mentally cut out for success in the field.
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