If I tell you a story about a heterosexual couple who are a computer scientist and a cleaner, would you have any preconceptions as to which was the man and which was the woman? You might not, but Google image searches show that the internet does.
Prof Ian Gent will use this as a parable about the vital problem of gender imbalance and stereotyping in Computer Science, perhaps the most important problem for the field. Ian will also discuss the Petrie Multiplier, a graphic illustration of how gender imbalance can dramatically affect the minority, even when the majority doesn't behave any worse.
Talk given at the Dundee Women in Science Festival, 18 March 2015
Women in Science 2015: The Computer Scientist and the Cleaner
1.
2. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
Ian Gent
School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews
http://ian.gent
twitter: @turingfan
2015 Women in Science Festival
#WomenSciFest
3. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
Ian Gent
School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews
http://ian.gent
2015 Women in Science Festival
#WomenSciFest
Honestly, that’s my URL, try it!
4. Thanks to...
The Women In Science Festival for inviting me …
Karen Petrie for the Petrie multiplier …
and one or two others who helped me with this talk …
5. Thanks to...
Many people at St Andrews not least standup comedians like a sex
researcher and Royal Society University Research Fellow, a historian
at the University of Dundee, a professor, a reader, a software engineer
and a postdoc from Edinburgh University, the former chair of BCS
Women, the first female professor at St Andrews, a NewYork 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, , a rocket scientist from NASA, a
swordfish cockpit swapping Mills & Boon author, a graduate of the
first college in the USA to admit women, two pantomime performers
from Fife and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government.
7. 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.”
8. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
“One of their few arguments was when she
forgot their wedding anniversary.”
• Let me ask you a question.
• Who forgot the anniversary?
• Was it the computer scientist or the
cleaner?
9. The Computer Scientist
and the Cleaner
“One of their few arguments was when she
forgot their wedding anniversary.”
• Let me ask Google a question.
• Who forgot the anniversary?
• Was it the computer scientist or the
cleaner?
12. 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.”
• Look inside your brain
• Did you think the woman was the
cleaner?
13. 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...
• ... do you think maybe that might make you
think that Computer Science isn’t for you?
14. 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
• I hope I am one
• I am trying to lose at Ally Bingo
19. Gender Balance
The most important
problem for computing
Aside: not the most important problem in computing,
which is probably “P=NP?” or maybe “How do you
write software that works”
20. Why the most important
problem for CS?
Why should we have more women in CS?
Many people have given bad reasons…
I only know of two good reasons, but they
are overpoweringly good.
• It’s right
• Computer Science would be better
21. It’s Right
• If a woman doesn’t want to do CS, that’s fine
• But ...
• CS is an incredibly rewarding discipline
• If a woman is put off CS they are potentially
missing out
• That is NOT fine
• Everybody in CS is responsible for making sure
this doesn’t happen
22. 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!
Karen Spärck Jones, imageWikipedia
23. But is it a problem now?
• YES!
• Even Scientists judge men higher
than women ... for no reason!
• Science faculty’s subtle gender
biases favor male students
• Proceedings National Academy of
Science, USA, 2012
• http://www.pnas.org/content/
early/2012/09/14/1211286109
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’ preex-
isting subtle bias against women. We reasoned that pervasive
cultural messages regarding women’s lack of competence in sci-
ence 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 to-
ward 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 sci-
ence. 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 gen-
der 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
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 Moss-Racusin et al.
• Male students were
ranked higher in
everything
• The only difference
between the male and
female students was the
names on CVs
24. If I Can Make it Here...
Image:UniversityofStAndrews
25. If I Can Make it Here...
I can make it in any …
Image:UniversityofStAndrews
26. If I Can Make it Here...
I can make it in any …
Image:UniversityofStAndrews
small seaside town with entrenched sexist attitudes
27. Sexism in St Andrews
Sign on the all-male
New Golf Club, St Andrews
1990s
Now it just says “Members Only”
But the golf club is still all-male
Image from Ursula Martin’s
Inaugural Lecture, 1996
28. 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 Oxford
• Yes, a 600 year old University’s first
female professor hasn’t retired yet!
• For 579 years we didn’t have a female
Prof
• The vote to admit women to the Royal &
Ancient Golf Club passed on 18 Sep 2014
• For 595 years we didn’t have a female
Principal
• Prof Louise Richardson
Image:QMUL
Photo: Corrine Pickering
Image:StAndrewsUni
29. Dundee Woman in Science
• Actually St Andrews had a female
professor in 1940 … sort of
• Margaret Fairlie
• First female professor in Scotland
• Head of Ob&Gyn, Royal Infirmary,
Dundee
• Really Prof at Dundee University
• then College of St Andrews
• In fact St Andrews held up her
chair from 1936-1940!
Image:Wikimedia Commons
31. • Karen Petrie
• Senior Lecturer in Computing at Dundee
• Computing graduate of St Andrews
• And inventor of the Petrie Multiplier
• (but not the namer of it!)
Images: Ian Gent
Dundee Woman in Science
32. The Petrie Multiplier
• 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-petrie-
multiplier-why-attack-on.html
42. “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
43. “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
126. 12/10/2013 18:00
Page 1 of 1file:///Users/ipg/Work/Talks/Sexism/images/petrie80.svg
12/10/2013 18:00
12/10/2013 18:00%3
Man Woman
Lucky 0 4
Typical 0.35 5.6
Unlucky 3 9
Unluckiest man of 40 does better than luckiest woman of 10!
127. • 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
128. Petrie Multiplier:
Lessons
• With women underrepresented
• Women experience amazing disparity of sexism
• With no assumption that men are worse
• So attacks on sexism in CS...
• ... and statements that women get it worse than
men
• are not attacks on men
137. I am related to a
woman (2)
This is a picture of
two computer
scientists preparing
for an event to get
more women into
computer science in
1992.
Selfie taken using the
awesome wonder of
a digital camera!
The woman
on the right
was then the
smartest
person I
knew.
She still is,
and yes she is
now my wife.
Image: Judith Underwood and Ian Gent
138. Only one in the room
• While I was helping try to get girls
into science
• I went to a meeting
• About 30 women : 1 or 2 men
• All the women were really nice
• And I felt really uncomfortable
• This has happened to me once
• This happens to women in CS every
day
139. Only one in the room
• While I was helping try to get girls
into science
• I went to a meeting
• About 30 women : 1 or 2 men
• All the women were really nice
• And I felt really uncomfortable
• This has happened to me once
• This happens to women in CS every
day
Image: Concerned Feminists, 2014
140. Don’t worry your pretty
little head about it
• Some guy’s computer in a lab was stuck
• She tried to tell him that this computer
needed to be left alone for 15 minutes
• Then it would come back to life
• All the regulars in the lab knew this
• He kept hitting keys
• cos what would she know?
• In frustration she said...
• “Just leave it alone for 15 minutes ...
... and don’t worry your pretty little head about it”
141. 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...
142. 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.
143. 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.
144. 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.
145. 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.
146. 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.
147. 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.
148. 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.
149. 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.
150. 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.
151. 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.
152. None of the above?
• 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?
• is it so obvious I’m on prozac?
• http://www.depressedacademics.blogspot.com
153. 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
154. 1. Don’t be a jerk
• This is really simple to understand
• Unfortunately being a jerk to women in CS is
really widespread
• I’m not going to provide examples
• it would take too long
• seriously, it’s almost unimaginable how long it
would take
155. 2. Don’t use sexist
language
• 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”
156. 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
• Maybe you think somebody shouldn’t be offended when they tell
you they are
• Tough! Guess what, they were offended!
• You only have two options
• “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”
157. 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/
158. Better For Everybody
“I want the world of science and engineering
to be a world that embraces everybody”
Maria Klawe, 2013
Computer Scientist
President of Harvey Mudd College
where women in CS final year went
from 10% to 48% in seven years
Image:HarveyMuddCollege
160. Talk about our geek
heroines for Ada
Hope I’ve done some of that today…
161. Talk about our geek
heroines
but saved the best for last
162. I am related to a
woman (3)
Photo: Ian Gent (or close relative)
163. My Ada Lovelace day
heroine
Photo: Ian Gent (or close relative)
My mother Ann Margaret Gent
A Mills & Boon author….
164. A Mills & Boon author
Photo:Abe Books
Photo: Ian Gent (or close relative)
165. A woman of calculators
Photo: Ian Gent (or close relative)
4 bit calculator from
sister’s doll’s house base!
Curta Calculator TI-57 Programmable Calculator
imagesWikipedia
168. Thanks to...
Many people at St Andrews including a standup comedian sex
researcher, a historian at the University of Dundee, a professor, a
reader, a software engineer and a postdoc from Edinburgh University,
the former chair of BCS Women, the first female professor at St
Andrews, a NewYork 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, , a rocket scientist
from NASA, a swordfish cockpit swapping Mills & Boon author, a
graduate of the first college in the USA to admit women, two
pantomime performers from Fife and the Chief Scientific Advisor to
the Scottish Government.
