Computer science, like academia, is very R&D-focused and being able to go to conferences, talks, etc is a big part of participation in the profession.

Not to dig at you guys – everyone’s at it – but it was the Dev8D Rules of Engagement that got me thinking about this really…
“ We start early and work til late.”
http://benosteen.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/dev8d-rules-of-engagement-draft/

Of course it’s fine for some tech events to be like this – but if the majority are, even if you get young women interested, you risk them dropping out before they have chance to be the next generation’s role-models.

(There are related issues around family-friendlyness common to IT and academia: working hours and workloads, the need to be able to travel – often internationally – if you’re good at what you do)

Hope this doesn’t sound too negative. Always sounds like a good event you run (but, given the lack of tech in my work these days, not one I’d be going to even if I didn’t have a toddler).

In support of this, I have even been unable to get the Interactive Entertainment Systems 4th year module at University of Southampton to run for the past few years due to lack of interest. Our Computer Science undergraduates just aren’t interested in making games (even though a large proportion play them).

From my experience the drivers for Computer Science are the guarantee of getting a job, the lure of high wages in some industries (banking) and already being a computer scientist as a hobby.

As for the sexism angle, plenty of girls and women play games. Not a lot of them develop. The mindset for creating games is a creative one, which is not a necessary skill for playing them. Most people who read books or watch films do not become an author or director.

The gender imbalance in Computer Science is fundamentally cultural. In other countries (for example Malaysia) Computer Science courses are dominated by women in the same proportion as western computer science is dominated by men (in Malaysia “real men” do engineering). The reason there is an imbalance is that the toys, activities and expectations are heavily biased from the moment the gender of the child is born.

Boys are bombarded with toys that are functional and encourage making things (because of an expectation of the careers they will have) whereas girls are assaulted with toys that enable them to simulate social situations (because of an expectation of what they will do when they are older). Until this stark contrast is narrowed the imbalance will not change.

Lastly, the point about introducing how computers work (rather than how to use them) being too late in the educational cycle is spot on. I teach programming to foundation year students and one of them recently told me that he understands the maths on his course, but programming is a completely alien concept. The reason for this is that he’s being doing maths and the underlying processes and concepts since he was 5 years old! He has been programming for 2 hours a week for 6 weeks, of course he doesn’t “get it” as easily.

For me it was computer games directly and messing around with scripted missions in Operation Flashpoint that first ignited my passion for coding.

Hopefully the growth and success of “casual” gaming will help spark the same interest in girls.

Disclaimer: Yes I am aware there are “hardcore” female gamers out there, but they are undeniably a tiny minority. And no I dont think that females only choice of for gaming should be limited to the cheap and short lived thrills of “casual” gaming.