Women Performance in a Computer Science Program

Historically, women have been underrepresented in STEM fields, both in academia and industry. Gender prejudices sometimes assume that women are less competent in computer science. Chile has implemented various affirmative action initiatives to attract women to computer science programs, but there is almost no research on women’s performance in these programs. To address this issue, we conducted a descriptive case study that analyzes grades obtained in all mandatory courses within a computer science program over a span of 12 years. The results reveal women have a slight significant better overall performance and that there are no significant differences in grades across most of the courses, with only three courses showing a slight advantage for women. This study intends to serve a dual purpose: guiding efforts to attract and promote women in computer science and providing the industry with valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of female candidates during the hiring process.