Gender Differences in Professional Socialization: A Study of Women and Men in the Computer Science Ph.D. Program at Carnegie Mellon
Mary Diane Burton · KiltHub Repository · 1986
This study investigated differences in the socialization experiences of men and women who are in the process of becoming computer science Ph.D.s. In-depth interviews with women in the Ph.D. program in computer science at Carnegie Mellon revealed their experiences as a distinct minority in a male-dominated field. It was hypothesized that the absence of role models and the reduced social support structure for women would result in a less positive socialization experience than for men in the same program. A questionnaire was used to examine the experiences of men and women comparatively. No differences were found in time allocation or quality of performance between women and men, but women found their environment to be less supportive and had less positive attitudes toward the computer science profession than did men.