Arresting the Decline: conversations with female CS undergraduates

Computing, as a discipline within Higher Education, is a relatively new subject and it has undergone a rapid expansion and growth in popularity in recent years. Despite this rise in popularity the number (not just the proportion) of females studying Computing-related subjects at degree level is decreasing. This decline in the number of female applicants for Computer Science (CS) degree programmes is worrying to say the least. This paper reports the findings of a small research project designed to highlight problems and to suggest a course of action that could improve the situation. This initial investigation has attempted to identify any gender-related problems that female CS students at two traditional UK universities have encountered.