A UK study confirms that secondary students lack diverse role models for computer science, likely compounding the industry’s known challenges surrounding diversity and inclusion.

“We know from existing data and research that girls are underrepresented in computer science qualifications,” lead author Billy Wong of the University of Reading tells Cosmos. “So we looked at the possible reasons from a range of angles.”

In the UK, the male to female ratio of students accepted into university computer science programs is about 4 to 1. Similarly, in Australia and the US, only about 20% of computer science professionals are women.

There is some evidence for change within the UK; in 2018 the male to female ratio in computing programs was worse at 5.3 to 1. However, in the US, the proportion of women receiving computer science degrees crept up by just three percentage points over a decade.

In addition to gender diversity, people identifying as Hispanic, Black or Indigenous are underrepresented in the field. For example, in Australia, the entire technology sector employs less than 1% of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

“Without major shifts, computing will continue to be homogenous and will struggle to serve diverse communities with new tools and technologies that make a genuine difference in their lives,” says Wong.

The research team focused on the identity of people known to students because these public figures influence perceptions of who succeeds in computer science.

“As an increasingly dominant field that will shape more of our everyday lives, it is interesting to understand who students recognise as prominent or famous, highlighting the current stereotypes and representation gaps in the field”, says Wong.

Who do teens look up to?

The open-ended survey of 1,788 children aged 11-16 found that the top ten people named were either billionaire tech entrepreneurs or historic academics (or Stephen Hawking, a physicist).

“What immediately jumps out is the dominance of white men in this list,” says Wong. “Most children were only aware of one or two women, for example, and almost always the same two – Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper. There are no people of colour in the top ten… And many of these people come from wealthy families.”

Notably, 10% of students responded that they did not know of any famous computer scientists.

Five of the top six names were the wealthy entrepreneurs Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Wong argues that fame and money may present motivating factors, particularly to boys, but overemphasis of these factors could reinforce a narrow image of who excels in computing. It could even be risky for the field.

“The focus in [computer science] education is on skills for businesses,” says Wong. “This then neglects other vital areas of education such as digital literacy, data privacy and surveillance, and the related social, political and ethical consequences of developments in the field.”

“The field of computer science should be much more worried about this than is currently apparent,” adds Wong. 

The remaining four computer scientists on the list were grouped as historic academics often included in school curricula: Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper and Charles Babbage.

While this category of computer scientists is notably more diverse, Wong and colleagues express concern that figures from the 1800’s and 1900’s may have limited relatability to young people today.

Lifting up modern role models

“Role models from diverse backgrounds are, thankfully, out there in small numbers,” says Wong. “Educators, media outlets and policymakers will need to work harder to integrate diverse role models into public discourses and educational materials.”

For example, Wong commends the work by physicist Jess Wade from the Imperial College London who created thousands of entries on Wikipedia that document the contributions of women and people from underrepresented groups to STEM.

“Globally, we can celebrate the achievements of Timnit Gebru (AI ethics), Lisa Su (CEO of Advanced Micro Devices), Barbara Liskov (Liskov Substitution Principle), Margaret Hamilton (Software engineering pioneer), and Joy Buolamwini (algorithmic bias advocate),” Wong tells Cosmos.

In Australia, Cosmos has compiled extensive lists of remarkable and cutting-edge women in science.

The research team also points out that famous people are not the only – or even the most important – role models for students.

“We find relatable role models to be key inspirations for girls who choose to study computer science, which shows that while famous faces give us a snapshot of how the field is generally perceived, the figures that matter are often more grounded,” says Wong.

 “[This] highlights for schools the importance of alumni and community members as local and realistic role models,” adds Wong.  

The research is published in the journal Oxford Review of Education. It is part of a larger project exploring the factors associated with better uptake and attainment in computing for secondary school students in the UK.