Abstract
In the world of computing, women are in the minority. Computer software and systems in common use have been developed by male-dominated teams. As designers design systems that they like, a male perspective comes through the software and leads to the belief that computing is a male subject. Girls therefore do not find computing interesting nor is it a field they want to work in. Few of the girls who enter computing become designers. The reasons behind this cycle include gender differences in the way information is processed, and the self-perpetuating public belief that computing is inherently male. The cycle can be broken at any stage, and many attempts have been made to encourage girls into computing classes and courses, and join the IT industry. We propose that the cycle should be broken at the interface design stage - all designers should consider the female perspective when designing. This will start to change the opinion that computers are only for men, will lead to more females in the discipline, and we suggest that this will produce better computer systems for everyone. This researcg was funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
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Peiris, D.R., Gregor, P., Indigo, V. (2000). Women and Computing. In: Balka, E., Smith, R. (eds) Women, Work and Computerization. IFIP — The International Federation for Information Processing, vol 44. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35509-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35509-2_5
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