Sos Computer Science Women Are Needed By 2020

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 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 Jaen (coordinated by Dr. Lina Garcia-Cabrera) has promoted the "Hour of Code" in the province of Jaen:This event has received the support of the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation. From this institution of the University of Jaen:An email has been sent to all high and elementary schools of Jaen 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 the "Hour of Code (Code.org)".College students of Computer Science Engineering (coordinated by the student Jose Angel 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 Jaen Province (Andalusia, Spain) that request it.In order to train the teachers of schools of the province of Jaen that would like to hold "hours of code".To Promote the "Hour of Code" in social networks.Dr. Lina Garcia-Cabrera with the help of the student Jose Angel Graus-Graus trained the students on November 10, 2016 on how to do hours of code in the schools of the province of Jaen that request it.Code hours aimed at high school students were held on November 17 and December 9, 2016 at the Higher Polytechnic School of the University of Jaen.It has been a very positive experience, 23 college students of Computer Science Engineering have participated as volunteers, over 90 hours of code were given in more than 20 secondary and primary schools around the province of Jaen. So, it represents a visible step in promoting CS.