Unlocking the Clubhouse : Women in Computing

Rating:
Summary: Impressive Results & an Excellent Source of Ideas
Review: I found this book both illuminating and inspiring. Based on extensive qualitative research, the authors suggest numerous reasons for the fairly low proportion of women computer science students. They propose some strategies for balancing the numbers and describe the remarkable success of those strategies at Carnegie Mellon University. This book led me to change my own teaching practices in ways that should benefit all of my students, male or female.

Rating:
Summary: Illuminating and Inspiring
Review: I found this book both illuminating and inspiring. Based on extensive qualitative research, the authors suggest numerous reasons for the fairly low proportion of women computer science students. They propose some strategies for balancing the numbers and describe the remarkable success of those strategies at Carnegie Mellon University. This book led me to change my own teaching practices in ways that should benefit all of my students, male or female.

Rating:
Summary: I thought I'm the abnormal one!
Review: I got a recommendation from Software Development magazine, and wow, I feel so lucky that I "discover" this book! I can't remember how many times I feel alienated among my male peers, whenever they keep talking about computer stuff or coding all the time. I also keep wondering whether I deserve to get a mark which is better than most of them. I even talk to my counsellor and she can't understand at all how a student who gets a good mark can have such a low confidence. Now, I feel much more comfortable in pursuing my CS degree even though I don't have the "geek" personality or such things like that. Thanks for doing this research, Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher!

Rating:
Summary: Impressive Results & an Excellent Source of Ideas
Review: I have referred many people to this book as a first class
evaluation of gender differences in technical education
presented along with concrete and practical suggestions on
how to improve. After more than 20 years in the
computer industry, it is a pleasure to read a book that
presents so well the challenges that most young women face
when starting in Engineering.

Rating:
Summary: Why we need more women in technical careers
Review: I interviewed Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher on my Internet radio program 'Interviews' on Radio Left. The authors explain via anecdote and research results why women are under represented in high tech careers and in the computer industry in particular. Despite the serious topic, 'Unlocking the Clubhouse' is highly entertaining. Here are a couple of amazing facts from the book: When the air bag was first designed, by men, it was designed to be safe for adult males, causing the deaths of many women and children before it was redesigned. Early video conferencing systems were trained to turn the camera toward the person speaking. One problem: the systems only recognized male voices, so, when women spoke, the camera would not turn to them! The authors report on a highly successful program at Carnegie-Mellon University to attract and retain women in the Computer Science Department. They operated on the principle that the program needed to be fixed to attract women rather than that women needed to change to succeed in the program. I recommend this book to anyone concerned about the role of technology in our society, to those considering high-tech careers, and those who want to create a maximum array of career options for their children. Geoff Staples Host, Interviews

Rating:
Summary: Why we need more women in technical careers
Review: I interviewed Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher on my Internet radio program 'Interviews' on Radio Left. The authors explain via anecdote and research results why women are under represented in high tech careers and in the computer industry in particular. Despite the serious topic, 'Unlocking the Clubhouse' is highly entertaining. Here are a couple of amazing facts from the book: When the air bag was first designed, by men, it was designed to be safe for adult males, causing the deaths of many women and children before it was redesigned. Early video conferencing systems were trained to turn the camera toward the person speaking. One problem: the systems only recognized male voices, so, when women spoke, the camera would not turn to them! The authors report on a highly successful program at Carnegie-Mellon University to attract and retain women in the Computer Science Department. They operated on the principle that the program needed to be fixed to attract women rather than that women needed to change to succeed in the program. I recommend this book to anyone concerned about the role of technology in our society, to those considering high-tech careers, and those who want to create a maximum array of career options for their children. Geoff Staples Host, Interviews

Rating:
Summary: Great read for any female in the IT fields.
Review: The book focuses on the results of a "four-year study (involving some 230 interviews) at Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science." The authors did not spend a great deal of time offering solutions to the gender gap problem, but they did offer a great deal of insight into what causes it, such as the way boys and girls play and subsequently view the computer as a "boy's toy." It goes into detail about the societal pressures and our cultural differences that have attributed to the small percentage of women in computer science. I believe that some of the results from this research can lead to programs and other solutions that will eventually decrease the gender gap, but again not much emphasis is placed on what these solutions might be.

On a personal note, it was actually quite helpful in sorting out the emotions and situations that occured during my undergrad work and the fears and apprehensions I had of going to grad school. I especially recommend this book to all women in the computer fields and any woman interested in pursuing a computer science career.

Rating:
Summary: Is this really necessary?
Review: The book is an example of research addressing the general question: "Why oh why are other people not passing their lives in a way that I, the researcher, deem appropriate?" There may be a book-length explanation to that, but then again, maybe they just don't feel like it.

Rating:
Summary: Is this really necessary?
Review: The book is an example of research addressing the general question: "Why oh why are other people not passing their lives in a way that I, the researcher, deem appropriate?" There may be a book-length explanation to that, but then again, maybe they just don't feel like it.

Rating:
Summary: Eye-opening and relatable
Review: This book grabbed me by the collar and shook me up. I'm a female Computer Science student and the stories in the book sounded like quotes taken from conversations between me and my friends. Margolis and Fisher describe the factors that affect the experiences of tech inclined women as they embark on and endure or exit from the Computer Science major at CMU. The writing is level-headed and socially conscious, and the experiences are told largely through the stuents' own words. It's a good read for academics, teachers, parents, women, students, engineers, or anyone interested in these groups. It's pretty amazing to see the subtleties of a culture and a discipline as experienced through the eyes of someone other than yourself.