Computing gender wars — A new hope

The dearth of females in computing continues to be of considerable concern worldwide. Much of the previous research in the area concludes that young females hold negative attitudes and experiences toward computing and consequently choose not to study or work in the area. Many initiatives have been put in place in recent years to attempt to address the gender divide. In light of these activities this research seeks to provide a timely measure of the potential future computing career ambitions of secondary school pupils and provides a comparison with a group of similar aged members of a voluntarily attended computer coding group (Code Club). It finds that female intent to pursue a computing career remains worryingly low yet attitudes towards computing are generally positive. It also provides an insight in gaming experience and relates the significance of this and potential computing exposure to computing career choice.