The Role of Familial Influences in African American Women's Persistence in Computing

Because African American women represent a vastly underrepresented population in the field of computing (i.e., 1% of bachelor's degrees awarded to African American women in 2018), multiple approaches have been utilized to increase the representation of African American women in the computing pipeline. However, strategies to recruit and retain African American women in computing emphasize mentorship in educational settings, ignoring the significance of familial influences in African American women's decision to pursue a degree in computing or how this impacts their ability to successfully navigate the computing pipeline. Furthermore, familial influences represent one form of social capital that can be leveraged to gain access to opportunities in computing. In this exploratory study, we investigate the role of family members and the family values that influence African American women's decision to pursue computing as a preferred field of study and a viable career option. Leveraging Black Feminist Thought as a critical framework, we interview 34 African American women in various stages of the computing pipeline to explore their lived experiences. Qualitative analysis reveals that families play a pivotal role in African American women's persistence in computing in six crucial ways: 1) early exposure and access to computing; 2) support for African American women's self-efficacy; 3) education as a family value; 4) career guidance and advice; 5) emotional support; and 6) family members as role models. We provide recommendations to leverage African American women's strong ties with family members.