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Women in Computing in the Arab World: Representation, Challenges and Opportunities In Academia
Abstract
In my talk, I will present an important research that I’ve been leading during the past several years focusing on Representations, Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Computing in the Arab World in academia. Women in Computing is an important and timely topic. Despite the remarkable progress that women made in almost all professions in the US, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe, however, their under-representation in the fields of computing raises an on-going societal concern. Very few women are in senior-level positions and the number of women technology-entrepreneurs is scarce. Various international studies have documented the underrepresentation of women at every level of science and technology. This paper is part of a larger project focusing on Arab women in tech fields. In our talk, we will present research that focusing on Representations, Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Computing in the Arab World in academia. Women in Academic Computing is an important and timely topic. Despite the remarkable progress that women have made in almost all professions in the US, Canada, Australia, and several countries in Europe, their under-representation in the fields of computing raises an on-going societal concern and that requires looking at the role that the educational pipeline plays in shaping the profession. The Arab world, however, presents a hopeful exception to these depressing trends. Drawing on three data sources - educational data focusing on enrollments, collected from a range of academic institutions in the Arab world, as well as quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews with Arab women academics in computer science, we shed light on a number of questions. Our preliminary research indicates that women comprise the majority of undergraduate students studying Computer Science in Arab countries including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, whereas in the United States female enrollment in Computer Science and Engineering has fallen from 37% in the early 80’s to a dismal rate nearing 20% in the first years of the 21th century. By examining these enrollment data in more depth, in conjunction with the additional data sources we have collected, we plan to provide a nuanced picture of the experiences of female academics in computing in the Arab world, with a focus on providing insights into the challenges, and opportunities for Arab Women in Computing and also present motivation factors for enrolling in CS and technology fields.
Discipline
Economics
Geographic Area
All Middle East
Sub Area
Arab Studies