Gender Dynamics in Software Engineering: Insights from Research on Concurrency Bug Reproduction

TL;DR

This paper reviews gender representation in concurrency bug reproduction research, revealing significant underrepresentation of female researchers and highlighting the need for greater gender diversity to enhance software engineering innovation.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of gender ratios and technique variations in concurrency bug reproduction research, emphasizing diversity's importance.

Findings

Male researchers dominate the field with a 29:6 ratio.

Limited research on gender-based differences in techniques.

Highlights the need for increased gender diversity in this research area.

Abstract

Reproducing concurrency bugs is a complex task due to their unpredictable behavior. Researchers, regardless of gender, are contributing to automating this complex task to aid software developers. While some studies have investigated gender roles in the broader software industry, limited research exists on gender representation specifically among researchers working in concurrent bug reproduction. To address this gap, in this paper, we present a literature review to assess the gender ratio in this field. We also explore potential variations in technique selection and bug-type focus across genders. Our findings indicate that female researchers are underrepresented compared to their male counterparts in this area, with a current male-to-female author ratio of 29:6. Through this study, we emphasize the importance of fostering gender equity in software engineering research, ensuring a diversity of perspectives in the development of automated bug reproduction tools.