A University of Washington (UW) study indicates that the stereotype of computer scientists as geeks who stay up all night coding and have no social life may be driving women away from careers in computer science. The study found that the stereotype can be invoked just by the appearance of the classroom or work environment. “When people think of computer science the image that immediately pops into many of their minds is of the computer geek surrounded by such things as computer games, science fiction memorabilia, and junk food,” says UW professor Sapna Cheryan. “That stereotype doesn’t appeal to many women who don’t like the portrait of masculinity that it evokes.” Cheryan set up four experiments to examine the reasons why the proportion of women in computer science is dropping. In all four experiments, women were turned off by stereotypical items such as Star Trek posters, video game boxes, and Coke cans. “Instead of trying to change the women who do not relate to the stereotype, our research suggests that changing the image of computer science so that more women feel they fit in the field will go a long way to recruiting them into computer science,” Cheryan says. The media also plays a role by constantly portraying computer scientists as computer geeks, she says. The stereotype also may be turning off some men. “We need to broaden the image of the field so both women and men feel more welcome,” she says. “In workplaces and universities we can do this by changing the way offices, hallways, and labs look.”
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