Programming Skills are Not Enough: a Greedy Strategy to Attract More Girls to Study Computer Science
Tiziana Catarci, Luca Podo, Daniel Raffini, Paola Velardi

TL;DR
This paper discusses a strategic approach and programs aimed at increasing high school girls' interest in ICT and computer science to address gender imbalance and promote technological innovation.
Contribution
It introduces a specific strategy and program details to attract more girls to study computer science, emphasizing early awareness and engagement.
Findings
Programs increase girls' interest in ICT
Early awareness can influence career choices
Practical project examples demonstrate effectiveness
Abstract
It has been observed in many studies that female students in general are unwilling to undertake a course of study in ICT. Recent literature has also pointed out that undermining the prejudices of girls with respect to these disciplines is very difficult in adolescence, suggesting that, to be effective, awareness programs on computer disciplines should be offered in pre-school or lower school age. On the other hand, even assuming that large-scale computer literacy programs can be immediately activated in lower schools and kindergartens, we can't wait for >15-20 years before we can appreciate the effectiveness of these programs. The scarcity of women in ICT has a tangible negative impact on countries' technological innovation, which requires immediate action. In this paper, we describe a strategy, and the details of a number of programs coordinated by the Engineering and Computer…
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Taxonomy
TopicsGender and Technology in Education · Teaching and Learning Programming · Child Development and Digital Technology
