The computer scientist and the cleaner is a parable about gender preconceptions.
These slides are a draft talk to first year students on gender balance and sexism in Computer Science.
For more details about the context of this talk, visit my blog at
http://iangent.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-computer-scientist-and-cleaner.html
1. The Computer
Scientist and the
Cleaner
Ian Gent
University of St Andrews
For more context please visit:
http://iangent.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-computer-scientist-and-cleaner.html
Thursday, 17 October 13
8. What is this talk, really?
A short talk about gender balance and inclusiveness in
computer science.
Thursday, 17 October 13
9. What is this talk, really?
Not an examinable part of CS1002 in a formal sense,
but something I think you should be exposed to
Thursday, 17 October 13
10. Part 1: The Computer
Scientist and the Cleaner
Thursday, 17 October 13
11. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
• Let me tell you a story.
“The computer scientist and the cleaner had
a long and happy marriage. One of their few
arguments was when she forgot their
wedding anniversary. But their marriage was
strong and he forgave her.”
Thursday, 17 October 13
12. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
“One of their few arguments was when she
forgot their wedding anniversary.”
• Let me ask you a question.
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Who forgot the anniversary?
Was it the computer scientist or the
cleaner?
13. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
“One of their few arguments was when she
forgot their wedding anniversary.”
• Let me ask Google a question.
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Who forgot the anniversary?
Was it the computer scientist or the
cleaner?
16. Who forgot the
anniversary?
“The computer scientist and the cleaner had
a long and happy marriage. One of their few
arguments was when she forgot their
wedding anniversary. But their marriage was
strong and he forgave her.”
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Look inside your brain
Did you think the woman was the
cleaner?
17. Tell me, was she the computer
scientist or the cleaner?
• I’m not going to tell you ...
• ... it’s just a story
• What matters is this...
• If you’re a woman ...
• ... and you’ve heard “he” for computer scientist
your whole life...
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
... do you think maybe that might make you
think that Computer Science isn’t for you?
24. Let’s be clear...
• The University of St Andrews does not have
sexist hiring policies
• We have clear non-sexist hiring policies
•
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/inclusiverec/
• The gender balance in St Andrews CS
• reflects general imbalance in the discipline
• and it’s a big problem
Thursday, 17 October 13
26. Why the most important
problem?
Why should we have more women in CS?
I only know of two good reasons, but they
are overpoweringly good.
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
It’s right
Computer Science would be better
27. It’s Right
•
•
If a woman doesn’t want to do CS, that’s fine
But ...
•
•
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
CS is an incredibly rewarding discipline
That is NOT fine
If a woman is put off CS they are potentially
missing out
Everybody in CS is responsible for making
sure this doesn’t happen
28. Computer Science
Would Be Better
•
“Computing's too important to be left to
men”
Karen Spärck Jones, 1935-2007
•
•
Karen did a bit more than a cute quote
She invented a key technique for internet
search ...
•
•
... 20 years before the World Wide Web
Don’t throw away half the world’s talents!
Thursday, 17 October 13
Karen Spärck Jones, image Wikipedia
30. A short history of
sexism in St Andrews
•
•
The University is 600 years old, yet ...
Its first female professor was a computer
scientist!
•
•
Prof Ursula Martin CBE, now at QMUL
•
For 579 years we didn’t have a female
Prof
Yes, a 600 year old University’s first
female professor hasn’t retired yet!
Image: QMUL
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Until 2004, the Rules of Golf for women
were made by a male only club in St
Andrews
•
For 595 years we didn’t have a female
Principal
•
Prof Louise Richardson
31. In addition to determining whether faculty expressed a bias
against female students, we also sought to identify the processes
contributing to this bias. To do so, we investigated whether
faculty members’ perceptions of student competence would help
to explain why they would be less likely to hire a female (relative
to an identical male) student for a laboratory manager position.
Additionally, we examined the role of faculty members’ preexisting subtle bias against women. We reasoned that pervasive
cultural messages regarding women’s lack of competence in science could lead faculty members to hold gender-biased attitudes
that might subtly affect their support for female (but not male)
science students. These generalized, subtly biased attitudes toward women could impel faculty to judge equivalent students
differently as a function of their gender.
The present study sought to test for differences in faculty
perceptions and treatment of equally qualified men and women
pursuing careers in science and, if such a bias were discovered,
reveal its mechanisms and consequences within academic science. We focused on hiring for a laboratory manager position as
the primary dependent variable of interest because it functions as
a professional launching pad for subsequent opportunities. As
secondary measures, which are related to hiring, we assessed: (i)
perceived student competence; (ii) salary offers, which reflect
the extent to which a student is valued for these competitive
positions; and (iii) the extent to which the student was viewed as
deserving of faculty mentoring.
Our hypotheses were that: Science faculty’s perceptions and
treatment of students would reveal a gender bias favoring male
students in perceptions of competence and hireability, salary
conferral, and willingness to mentor (hypothesis A); Faculty gender would not influence this gender bias (hypothesis B); Hiring
These results support hypothesis A.
In support of hypothesis B, faculty gender did not affect bias
(Table 1). Tests of simple effects (all d < 0.33) indicated that
female faculty participants did not rate the female student as
more competent [t(62) = 0.06, P = 0.95] or hireable [t(62) = 0.41,
P = 0.69] than did male faculty. Female faculty also did not
offer more mentoring [t(62) = 0.29, P = 0.77] or a higher salary
[t(61) = 1.14, P = 0.26] to the female student than did their male
But is it a problem now?
•
•
YES!
•
Science faculty’s subtle gender
biases favor male students
Even Scientists judge men higher
than women ... for no reason!
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Proceedings National Academy
of Science, USA, 2012
Fig. 1. Competence, hireability, and mentoring by student gender condition
(collapsed across faculty gender). All student gender differences are significant
(P < 0.001). Scales range from 1 to 7, with higher numbers reflecting a greater
extent of each variable. Error bars represent SEs. nmale student condition = 63,
nfemale student condition = 64.
•
2 of 6 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1211286109
http://www.pnas.org/content/
early/2012/09/14/1211286109
Male students were
ranked higher in
everything
Moss-Racusin et al.
•
The only difference
between the male and
female students was the
names on CVs
32. The Petrie Multiplier
•
•
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
A thought experiment
Let’s assume no gender difference in sexism
•
Say 20% of people act like jerks to the opposite
sex
•
And 20% of CS people are women
We will see amazing difference in result
http://iangent.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-petriemultiplier-why-attack-on.html
33. The Petrie Multiplier
Images: Ian Gent
•
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Invented by Karen Petrie
Senior Lecturer in CS at Dundee
And CS graduate of St Andrews
37. Let’s start with
32 men.
In pink of course
The boy’s colour
Thursday, 17 October 13
38. “The generally accepted rule is pink for
the boys, and blue for the girls.The
reason is that pink, being a more
decided and stronger color, is more
suitable for the boy, while blue, which is
more delicate and dainty, is prettier for
the girl.”
-- Earnshaw's Infants' Department
1918
Thursday, 17 October 13
39. “The generally accepted rule is pink for
the boys, and blue for the girls.”
Something to remember next time
you catch yourself thinking some
gender difference is inherent
Thursday, 17 October 13
60. • 0.35 bad experiences per man
• 5.6 bad experiences per woman
• 16x as many
• Ratio of bad experiences is square of gender
ratio
• 80% men : 20% women = 4 : 1
Thursday, 17 October 13
61. Petrie Multiplier:
Lessons
•
With women underrepresented
•
Women experience amazing disparity of sexism
•
•
•
With no assumption that men are worse
•
are not attacks on men
Thursday, 17 October 13
So attacks on sexism in CS...
... and statements that women get it worse than
men
63. What can we do?
• We can’t change today the gender
imbalance
• We can make CS a much nicer place for
women to be
• We can do three simple things...
Thursday, 17 October 13
64. Three Simple Things
1. Don’t be a jerk to women in CS
2. Don’t use sexist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
65. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to disabled in CS
2. Don’t use ableist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
66. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to non-whites in CS
2. Don’t use racist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
67. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to people from deprived
backgrounds in CS
2. Don’t use classist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
68. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to mentally ill people in
CS
2. Don’t use mentalist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
69. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to transgendered people
in CS
2. Don’t use cissexist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
70. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to older people in CS
2. Don’t use ageist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
71. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to gay people in CS
2. Don’t use homophobic language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
72. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to religious people in CS
2. Don’t use religionist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
73. Not just women
1. Don’t be a jerk to tall or short people in
CS
2. Don’t use heightist language
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides
if you are doing 1 or 2.
Thursday, 17 October 13
74. None of the above?
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
Even if it was ok to be a jerk to a ...
•
Straight white privileged non-disabled non-mentally-ill
cisgendered male of about your age, height and religion
•
(it’s not ok to be a jerk to him)
How do you know he’s all those things?
•
•
e.g. I’m obviously older than you...
is it so obvious I’m on antidepressants?
•
http://www.depressedacademics.blogspot.com
75. Back to Women
• Going to return to focus on women
• Not because other groups are not
important
• Just to make it easier to talk specifically
Thursday, 17 October 13
76. 1. Don’t be a jerk
•
•
This is really simple to understand
Unfortunately being a jerk to women in CS is
really widespread
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
I’m not going to provide examples
it would take too long
•
seriously, it’s almost unimaginable how long it
would take
77. 2. Don’t use sexist
language
•
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
I mean this in two ways
Don’t use language that implies CS people are men
•
remember the Computer Scientist and the
Cleaner
•
•
leads to females feeling excluded
and subtle biases as in the PNAS paper
Don’t engage in sexist “banter”
78. 3.You don’t get to
decide...
3. Understand that it’s not you who decides if you are doing 1 or
2.
•
•
This is really hard to understand
•
•
Tough! Guess what, they were offended!
Maybe you think somebody shouldn’t be offended when they
tell you they are
You only have two options
•
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
“I’m sorry, but I deeply believe that X is true so I stand by
what I said”
“I’m sorry, I’ll try harder not to say things like that in future”
79. •
Never say
“It’s only banter”
"Banter" is apparently a free pass: I can insult you, but
you're not allowed to be insulted, because "it's only
banter". I can be obscene, but you can't be offended,
because "it's only banter". No. If you're a grown-up, you
know that your offensiveness may offend, and you either
accept that or you apologise and don't do it again.
Tom Chivers,
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/
100141906/if-you-like-banter-you-are-an-idiot/
Thursday, 17 October 13
80. Allies
• We need male computer scientists to be
“Allies”
• Men who think it’s important that both
women and men are treated right in
Computer Science
• http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Allies
• But ... crowding around the only female in a
lab “helping” her is not being an ally
Thursday, 17 October 13
81. Part 5:
CS in St Andrews
• CS in St Andrews does not have a bad
reputation for sexism or other badisms
• though we must try harder
• and it’s up to all of us in this room
Thursday, 17 October 13
82. University Links and
Resources
•
Thursday, 17 October 13
University Policies and Links
•
•
•
•
•
•
Advice and Support Centre
University Harrassment and Bullying Policy
Student Non-academic Misconduct Policy
Disability Equality Scheme
Policy on Trans Students & Staff
How to Lodge a Complaint
83. Do not get me wrong...
Whether you are disadvantaged or privileged or both...
I want you to have a fabulous time at St Andrews
I want you to get a first
I want you to have an amazing career in or out of computing
I want the same for every member of groups at a disadvantage
And I want us all to work towards them not being at a disadvantage
Thursday, 17 October 13
84. Thanks to...
Many people at St Andrews, a historian at the University of Dundee, two
Readers, a software engineer and a postdoc from Edinburgh University, the
former chair of BCS Women, the first female professor at St Andrews, a
New York Times bestselling children's author, an antiques dealer in Wales,
the Oxford University Student's Union LGBT officer, a high school teacher
in Denmark, a postdoc at Liverpool, a freelance photographer, a beer
researcher from Heriot Watt, my wife and daughters, a rocket scientist
from NASA, and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government.
Thursday, 17 October 13