Bioinformatics as a Means to Attract Women to Computer Science

Programs in bioinformatics, offered in many academic institutes, are assumed to expand women’s representation in computer science (CS). Women’s enrolment in these programs is high. Our questions are: Do these programs attract different women from those attracted to CS programs? What factors underlie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Informatics in education 2023-12, Vol.22 (4), p.613-633
Main Authors: Genut, Sara, Kolikant, Yifat Ben-David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bioinformatics
Computer science
Gender Studies
Higher Education
ICT Information and Communications Technologies
underrepresentation
women
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Summary:Programs in bioinformatics, offered in many academic institutes, are assumed to expand women’s representation in computer science (CS). Women’s enrolment in these programs is high. Our questions are: Do these programs attract different women from those attracted to CS programs? What factors underlie women’s decision to enroll in bioinformatics programs? How do these factors differ from those of women who choose CS, if at all? What career opportunities do these women anticipate and pursue? Using questionnaires and interviews, we found a statistically significant difference between the factors that motivate women to choose bioinformatics and others to study CS. Many bioinformatics students did not consider CS as an alternative. Postfacto they learned to love computing, albeit with a biology-oriented purpose. “Computing with purpose” underlies many participants’ pursuit of careers in research, CS, and bio-tech. We thus conclude that bioinformatics programs do indeed expand women’s representation in CS.
ISSN:1648-5831
2335-8971
DOI:10.15388/infedu.2023.25