Abstract:

It is known that computers are everywhere, changing the way we work, learn, play, communicate, relate to each other and, of course, research. We have moved on from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution. By 2020, an estimated one million computer programming jobs in the U.S. will go unfilled. Why are so few women studying Computer Science? How do we fix it?

While 57% of occupations in the workforce are held by women, in computing occupations that figure is only about 20%. It’s astonishing that Computer Science (CS) is the only field in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in which the number of women receiving bachelor's degrees has decreased since 2002. In the mid eighties, even at the beginning of the nineties the percentage of females who took an undergraduate degree in CS was over 30% and indeed rose to 37% but gradually declined to 18% in 2010-11. Computer Science and Engineering majors have stagnated at less than 10% of all degrees while the demand for employees with programming skills is growing every year. In fact, in the near future over 60% of work will be related to CS.

Therefore, we have a severe, weird and perplexing Technology and Engineering (TE) gender gap! Why are girls still in a minority of students studying CS? There are three basics reasons: the geek or nerd culture that surrounds CS, girls think it’s not interesting a gaming world and they think they wouldn’t be good at it. But although, some of these stereotypes persist, things are gradually changing and many of these beliefs are misconceptions.

It’s time to demystify all these unsocial, biased and self-defeating statements and to close the CS gender gap. Faced with this reality, the Department of CS of the University of Jaén (coordinated by PhD Lina García-Cabrera) has promoted the "Hour of Code" in the province of Jaén:
* This event has received the support of the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation. From this institution of the University of Jaén:
**An email has been sent to all high and elementary schools of Jaén Province (Andalusia, Spain) to promote the organization of hours of code.
**Documentation and materials have been sent to explain how to organize hours of code.
**The CS Department has provided advice to Schools training teachers or sended volunteer students of Computer Science Engineering.
*Posters have been translated into Spanish to promote the global event "Hour of Code (Code.org)”.
*College Students of Computer Engineering (coordinated by the student José Ángel Graus-Graus) come together and sign up to volunteer in many ways:
**In order to carry out hours of code in high and elementary schools of Jaén Province (Andalusia, Spain) that request it.
**In order to train the teachers of schools of the province of Jaén that want to make "hours of code".
**To Promote "Hour of Code" in social networks.
**PhD. Lina García-Cabrera with the help of the student Angel Graus-Graus trained the students on November 10, 2016 on how to do hours of code in the schools of the province of Jaén that request it.
**At the Higher Polytechnic School of the University of Jaén will be held during the days of November 17 and December 9, 2016 code hours with high school students.

It has been a very positive experience, 23 College Students of Computer Engineering have participated as volunteers, over 90 hours of code were given in more than 20 secondary and primary schools around the province of Jaén. So, it represents a visible step in promoting CS.

Keywords:

Women and minorities in science and technology, ICT skills and training, Curriculum Design.