Importance of Gender Homophily in the Computer

T he number of women earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science (CS) peaked at 15 126 in 1986 but plunged to 7063 by 1995. Since then, the number has increased slightly to 10 474 in 2000 [18, tab. 222]. Yet, a survey of incoming freshman in 2002 revealed that only 3.2 percent of women planned to major in CS, compared to 14.6 percent of men [17, p. 2-6]. Although a growing number of women earn master's degrees in CS (from 2786 in 1995 to 4868 in 2000), there is a marked decline in the number of women earning doctoral degrees (from 186 in 1995 to 155 in 2001) [18, tabs. 2-24, 2-26]. The problem of disproportional representation of women in the CS discipline in post-secondary education has become a major concern [2], [28]. In recent years, scholars have identified a number of possible factors that affect the enrollment and retention of female students in CS programs. These factors include exposure to computers and gender socialization [27], gender bias in software design [8], motivational differences [13], differences in learning strategies and behaviors [10], [24], negative attitudes toward women in CS programs [6], and masculine CS culture [12]. This study explores how particular communication behaviors influence women’s experience of the CS classroom in the United States. In particular, it investigates the correlation between students’ perceived gender similarities with others in the CS discipline or homophily [23], their feelings about the closeness and openness of communication between people or immediacy [21], the resulting presence or absence of a supportive communication classroom climate, which is understood as a set of systemic entities whose presence and dimensionality may be inferred from students’ and teachers’ perceptions of psychosocial attributes of the classroom social system [32], and finally, their intention to remain in the CS program. ROLI VARMA AND MARCELLA LAFEVER