Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing

183 Pages·2001·0.702 MB·English

by  Jane Margolis, Allan Fisher

Unlocking the Clubhouse
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Unlocking the Clubhouse
Women in Computing
Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher
The MIT Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, England

2002 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any
electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or informa-
tion storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book was set in Sabon by Achorn Graphic Services, Inc.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Margolis, Jane.
Unlocking the clubhouse : women in computing / Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-262-13398-9 (hc. : alk. paper)
1. Computer science—Vocational guidance. 2. Women in computer science.
I. Fisher, Allan. II. Title.
QA76.25 M35 2001
004´.023—dc21 2001034296
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Women out of the Loop 1
1 The Magnetic Attraction 15
2 Middle and High School: A Room of His Own 33
3 Computing with a Purpose 49
4 Geek Mythology 61
5 Living among the Programming Gods: The Nexus of Confidence and
Interest 77
6 Persistence and Resistance: Staying in Computer Science 93
7 A Tale of 240 Teachers 109
8 Changing the University 129
Epilogue: Changing the Conversation in Computer Science 143
Appendix: Research Methodology 145
Sources and Further Reading 155
Index 165
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Acknowledgments
Many people have contributed to the work behind this book. Faye Miller,
our research associate, carried out many interviews and much data analy-
sis. Faye’s attention to nuance, and her concern that we consider every sin-
gle voice until we “get it right,” played an invaluable role in our research.
Jo Sanders co-designed our high school teachers’ program and has been a
consistent source of good advice; Mark Stehlik played a critical role in
building the program; Terri Sawdon made it work. Elaine Seymour has
been a constant source of support and insight.
We have benefited from many discussions with our Pittsburgh col-
leagues, Barbara Lazarus, Janet Schofield, Janet Stocks, and Indira Nair.
We are particularly indebted to Barbara for introducing us in the first place
and for guiding us to funding. We’ve learned much from our friends and
colleagues Sheila Humphreys, Anita Borg, Paula Rayman, Elizabeth De-
bold, Pat Campbell, Beryl Minkle, Noah Chevalier, Pattie Heyman, and
Kathryn Portnow. Our colleagues in the Carnegie Mellon School of Com-
puter Science—Jim Morris, Jim Roberts, Raj Reddy, Lenore Blum, and
Catherine Copetas—have been consistently helpful and supportive. Jane’s
new colleagues, Helen Astin, Jeannie Oakes, Linda Sax, Yasmin Kafai,
and Laurette Cano lent an ear and provided support. Our funders—Ted
Greenwood at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Carol Burger, Dawn
Pickard, and Ruta Sevo at the National Science Foundation; and the Small
Research Grants Program at the Spencer Foundation—have made the
projects reported here and the writing of the book itself possible.
We are especially grateful to the students, both women and men, who
gave of their time and confidences in our study. We hope they will find their
stories accurately and meaningfully reported here. We are also grateful
viii Acknowledgments
to the hundreds of high school teachers who have shared their time and
expertise with us.
Finally, we are pleased to acknowledge our families. Jane’s parents,
Jules and Doris Margolis, and Allan’s mother, Amy Fisher, have lent their
support. Jane’s husband, Mark, and Allan’s wife, Eden, have been out-
standing readers of multiple drafts. Jane’s daughter, Sophie, and Allan’s
children, Clark and Miranda, have not only been patient and supportive in
their own ways but also have lent us additional firsthand insights into our
topic.
Unlocking the Clubhouse