The Forces Driving Women Out of Computer Science (New York Times)

Ellen Spertus, a graduate student at M.I.T., wondered why only 20 percent of computer science undergraduates there were female. She published a 124-page paper, “Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?”, cataloging different cultural biases that discouraged girls and women from pursuing careers in the field. The year was 1991.

Computer science has changed considerably since then. Now, there are even fewer women entering the field. Why this is so remains a matter of dispute.

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