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Women's shrinking presence in IT has become a major area of focus since Harvard University President Lawrence Summers suggested last month that innate gender differences could partially explain why women are less successful at science and math. Some scholars argue that biology is less influential than stereotypical views of computing jobs as nerdy and male-oriented, while the long hours they often entail can be discouraging for women who want to raise families. Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer Radia Perlman notes that women are more susceptible to self-doubt and insecurity than men, and she thinks tech companies should take this into account by making the business culture less cutthroat. Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard software engineer April Slayden fits the profile of women who are attracted to technology as a vehicle for making a social difference. The National Science Foundation estimates that women accounted for just 28 percent of computer science bachelor's degrees in 2001, down from 37 percent in 1985; meanwhile, the percentage of female IT professionals fell from 33 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2002. However, some initiatives to boost those numbers appear to be having a positive effect. For example, female enrollments in Carnegie Mellon University's computer science school have increased significantly since the institution changed its eligibility requirements to place less emphasis on prior programming experience. And UCLA has received grants from Hewlett-Packard to overhaul an introductory course in electrical engineering so that students can use wireless instant messaging to send questions to the instructor during class--a strategy that is less intimidating for shy students.
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