CRACKINGTHE GENDER
CODE

GET 3X MORE WOMENIN COMPUTING

A research report
produced jointly by2Cracking the Gender CodeACT NOW
The gender gap in computing is getting worseand has severe implications for the U.S. economy.
New research by Accenture and Girls Who Codeshows that the share of women in computing jobs
is in decline and suggests that universal accessto computing in schools will not address thegender gap. Only by tailoring courses to girls’
specific needs can we boost their commitment
to computing.
This report recommends a fresh approachthat could increase the number of women incomputing to 3.9 million by 2025. That would lift
their share from 24% to 39% of the computing
workforce and generate $299 billion in
additional cumulative earnings.
The greatest impact will come if we act
now, starting with girls in junior high schooland sustaining their interest throughout
their education.

3

Cracking the Gender CodeHOW DID WE
GET HERE?
The “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is transforming
the world of work. Just as it happened with thetechnologies of the steam, electricity andcomputer revolutions, digital technologies are
now becoming pervasive and reshaping allparts of the global economy.
The computing industry’s rate of job creation in the
U.S. is now three times the U.S. national average.1
This rapid expansion of the computing workforce
means that computing skills – with coding at thecore – are the most sought-after skills in theAmerican job market.
Yet amid this boom, research by Accenture andGirls Who Code shows that women’s share of the
U.S. computing workforce is declining. On current
trends, women will hold only one in five computing
jobs in the U.S. by 2025. This is a national crisis withsevere implications for America’s place in the global
economy and for the future of women.
This report summarizes findings from theresearch by Accenture and Girls Who Code.
The project included a large-scale survey ofgirls aged 12-18 years old, undergraduate college
students, and other key stakeholders to understandthe state of girls’ interest in computing at eachstage of their education. It also includes
recommendations on what America can do toclose the gender skills gap in computing, better
meet the needs of a rapidly changing job market,
and improve U.S. competitiveness.
The keys to improvement include: sparking theinterest of girls in junior high school, sustaining
their commitment in high school where early gains
are often lost, and inspiring college undergraduatesby reframing computer curriculums. Implementing
our recommended strategy focused on these threestages of education could help to more than triple
the number of women working in computing in the
U.S. to 3.9 million by 2025. In turn, this could boost
women’s cumulative earnings by $299 billion overthe next 10 years.

The problem starts in the classroom
The challenges we face originate in school, where
too few girls are pursuing studies in computing
and related subjects. According to the American
Association of University Women, in recent years
only 20% of Advanced Placement (AP) computerscience exam takers in high school have beenfemale, compared to 48% for calculus, 59% forbiology, and 34% for physics.2 And the proportionof female students majoring in computing incollege is not just low – it has fallen dramatically.
In 1984, 37% of computer science majors in the
U.S. were women. Today, only 18% are.3
Various campaigns and school curricula have set
out to boost the interest of children and young
adults in computing. However, some of these
efforts take little account of the causes of thegender imbalances. Our research suggests that
universal access to computer science risks
reinforcing – rather than resolving – these
imbalances. It also shows that exposure alone
is insufficient to increase the proportion of girls
pursuing computer sciences. It is therefore vitalthat courses and other programs are tailored tomeet the needs of girls.
This report foresees significant potential growth inwomen’s participation in computing. More than two
thirds of this would result from working with today’s
junior high school girls and from sustaining theirinterest in computing as they progress through theireducation. That means we need to act urgently if
we are to reverse today’s alarming trends.

4

Cracking the Gender CodeThe skills squeeze and its impact
on the U.S. economy

A less responsive labor market threatens
our competitivenessThe shortage of women in computing isa fundamental economic challenge for the
U.S. economy and our long-term global
competitiveness.

The computing skills shortage will result in project
delays, higher wage costs, more time and money
spent searching for qualified employees and agreater need to retrain current ones. This will impact
the ability of American businesses to innovate andbring new products and services to market swiftly.

While computing jobs in the U.S. are growing
at three times the rate of overall job creation –rising at 4.6% compounded annually between
2011 and 2015, vs. 1.5% for employment acrossall industries4 – supply is failing to meet demand.
In 2015 there were more than 500,000 open
computing jobs in the U.S.,5 but as recently as
2014, fewer than 40,000 new computer science
graduates.6 More broadly, WhiteHouse.gov
estimates that there could be 2.4 million unfilledscience, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) jobs in the U.S. by 2018.7
The scale of the challenge is all the greater
because computing is increasingly enabling theapplication of new technologies – from analytics
to automation – that are driving the adoption oftransformative digital business models in allindustry sectors. The associated new computing
skills are increasingly specialist – richer, more
complex and more relevant to each sector.
Therefore, this skills challenge is not merely aboutan aggregate shortage, but about the need tomatch talent precisely to specific requirements.

We need to face the facts. While the U.S. is clearly
the global leader in digital innovation today, that
dominance is by no means assured. As technology
continues to bring down barriers and introduce
new business models, we must prepare to face
greater and more intense competition fromaround the world.

“Computer science gives
you a foundation that you
can take with you to prettymuch any field that you’reinterested in and be sure tohave reliable employment.”
YOUNG WORKER, NEW YORKAs a measure of these changes in our labor market,
the World Economic Forum’s January 2016 report
The Future of Jobs8 estimates that 65% of children
entering primary school today will ultimately end
up working in completely new jobs – jobs that don’t
yet exist. In the face of such profound change, thecurrent imbalances in the U.S. labor market will
make it far harder and more expensive for Americanbusinesses to meet their hiring needs.

The problem and the solution lie in our future
workforce. Accenture research shows that 40%
of women in the U.S. say they are not interested
in working in computer science or information
technology (IT). This compares to 25% in emerging
markets. This may be related to the fact that only 52%
of workers in the U.S. believe that today’s education
system effectively builds young people’s skills incomputer science and IT. That compares to 66%
of workers in emerging markets and 78% in India.

In fact, these strains are already emerging. The
WEF’s Future of Jobs9 report comments: “Netjob growth and skills instability result in mostbusinesses facing major recruitment challenges
and talent shortages, a pattern set to get worse
over the next five years.”

In many emerging markets, female participationin computing is higher than in the U.S. In India, 37%
of computing and business process management
workers were women in 2015.10 As it moves up thevalue chain in IT, women will likely make up an evenhigher proportion of its computing workforce.

5

Cracking the Gender CodeWithin the high growth area of analytics for example, the U.S.
has a shortage of professionals, while China and India have asurplus. In fact, the U.S.’s shortfall is greater than the surplus
in India and China combined.11“The best [bit] of my job isdefinitely coding… as thejob demands grew, it wasa really important step inmaking my design work
more valuable...”YOUNG WORKER, NEW YORK
Looking ahead, the U.S. must be prepared to face more
intense competition from countries that have more tech-savvy
workforces. Unless the large and relatively untapped sourceof female talent is engaged, the U.S. will be less able to facethat competitive challenge.
Bringing women back to the center of our economy
While these dislocations in the job market will present serious
long-term issues for all U.S. businesses, they also have a direct
impact on working opportunities for individual women.
If nothing is done to change the current trends, young women
will lose the race for the high-value, high-productivity jobs at theheart of the digital economy. As a measure of the current lackof progress, our analysis reveals that the salary gap between
men and women in U.S. computing roles has widened inrecent years from $8,540 in 2011 to $12,661 in 2015.
However, this problem also presents an opportunity. As
Accenture noted in its earlier study, Getting to Equal —How Digital is Helping Close the Gender Gap at Work,12
digital fluency acts as a powerful accelerant at every
stage of a woman’s career. If our young women are
given the chance to develop world-leading computing
skills and apply them at U.S. companies, then they will
be at the center of our thriving new digital economy.

6

Cracking the Gender Code

THE OPPORTUNITY
BEFORE US
It is widely acknowledged that to have the greatest impact, efforts to attract women into computing
must start at the earliest stages of a girl’s educational life – at junior high level or even earlier. Against
this background, our new research study offers a fresh approach to the debate and a valuable newperspective. Through a blend of both qualitative and quantitative analysis, we have identified which
factors at each stage of a girl’s educational journey through junior high, high school and college
makes the most difference to their desire to study and work in computing.
Catching girls early in junior high school
According to our research, 69% of the growth in
the computing pipeline would come from changing
the path of the youngest girls – especially those injunior high school. As Figure 1 shows, experience ofcomputing in their junior high years means that girls
are 18% more likely to show interest in computing
throughout their high school and college years.
Avoiding the “high school trap”
Gains made among girls in junior high school caneasily be lost in high school. A number of factors
negatively impact interest. For example, not having
friends in a computing class can reduce by 33% the
likelihood of a girl studying the subject at college.
So extra efforts are needed to sustain girls’ interestat this stage.

Realizing that the door to computing never closes
in college
College years are not the last chance to convert
young women to computing because, as the study
reveals, the door into computing never closes. Morethan half – 58% – of women working in computing
who went to college did not major in computing as
undergraduates. When college women realize how
they can put computing skills to work in almost any
career, they become more open to the subject as
an option.
As Figure 1 shows, we found that the principal
factors that influence interest in computing tend to
be positive for girls at junior high and college, andtend to be negative during high school years. These
unique insights have enabled us to recommend a
strategy that is precise, sequenced, and targeted
for each stage of their journey.

Computing isfor girls (+25%)
Experience ofcomputing (+18%)
Inspiring teacher (+16%)

HIGH
SCHOOL

Positive role model (+14%)

Computing is ‘cool’ (+11%)

JUNIORHIGHSCHOOL
Figure 1: Factors influencing girls’ interest incomputing at each stage of their education

Inspiring teachers(+16%)

No friends studying
computing (-33%)
Not enjoyable (-31%)
Computing nottaught (-30%)

COLLEGE7

Cracking the Gender Code

Where to from here?
Our analysis suggests that by implementing astrategy focused on these three stages, we would
help to more than triple the number of women
working in computing in the U.S. by 2025. This
would expand the number of women to 3.9 million(see Figure 2) and increase the female segment of
the computing workforce from 24% to 39%. Most
importantly, this would significantly reduce the skills
shortages of American businesses. Accenture
research shows that if we act on this opportunity, we
could also boost women’s cumulative earnings by$299 billion over the next 10 years (see Figure 3).

However, achieving progress on this scale will
require a sustained effort, and action must start
now. It will be 2020 before actions taken today start
to deliver the first real signs of change by bringing
more women into computing. If we continue todelay, the gender gap in computing will keep on
widening, negatively impacting the U.S. economy
and opportunities for women.

Women in computing could more than triple by 2025
Actions taken duringjunior high,high school& college
Result in 3.9M women
working in computing

Actions taken duringcollege & high school

Actions taken
during college

Cumulative earning to increase by $299 billion

Continue withtoday’s approach+$299BN

Number of women working incomputing today+$191BN

Figure 2: Impact of taking action on the number ofwomen working in computing in the U.S., 2016–2025+$42BN

Actions taken
during college

Actions taken
during college
and high school

Actions taken
during college,high school andjunior highFigure 3: Impact of the strategy identified on women’s
cumulative earnings, 2016–2025

8

Cracking the Gender CodeGETTINGTO WORKSo, how do we begin to crack this gender code incomputing? And what can we do to help girls on
their journey from junior high through college andultimately into the computing workforce?
There are several programs currently at work inschools and elsewhere seeking to drive children’sinterest in computing and coding, such as thegovernment driven Computer Science For All. GirlsWho Code is specifically building a pipeline ofyoung women to work in computing. It has reached10,000 girls through specially-designed after
school clubs and summer immersion programs.

As the research shows, exposure alone isinsufficient to increase the proportion of girls
pursuing computer sciences. It is important that
campaigns designed to promote participation by
young people in computing include elements tospecifically appeal to girls. Without such efforts,
there is a danger that such initiatives will amplify thecurrent gender imbalances given the entrenchedperceptions of computing as a male pursuit.
We outline a three-stage approach, reflecting thedifferent factors at play in each phase. By
understanding this progression and applying
relevant actions at each stage, in sync and insequence, we can engage millions moregirls at every stage of their journey.

Girls Who Code: Young coders respond to an environmental crisis
Maya and Lucy are middle school coders from New Jersey. When they heard about the leadpoisoning water crisis in Flint, Michigan, they decided they could help. They may have been far
from Michigan, but they used their new found coding skills to build a website, Get the Lead Out,to educate their fellow students about the dangers of lead poisoning and what to do about it.
Their teacher persuaded them to join Girls Who Code. They learned HTML which helped themcreate the website. Their success stemmed from combining their love for coding with theirbroader interest in social and environmental affairs.
The unique contribution of Girls Who Code includes a range of creative approaches. Project-based
computer science courses help students learn core concepts to address applications and issues
based on their interest. Their Sisterhood initiative allows students to join a supportive and diverse
squad of girls. And Girls Who Code gives participants an opportunity to meet with and learn fromfemale engineers who can inspire the students and pass on tips for success.

9

Cracking the Gender CodeJUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLSPARK GIRLS’
INTERESTShow them how computing can be cool and fun and that it’s not just for boys
Intervention must begin in junior high. This is because junior high is the point where the seeds ofcomputing can be planted and start to germinate, and influence a girl’s subsequent journey throughhigh school and into the workforce. In fact, 74% of women working in computing were exposed
to computing in junior high, compared to 49% of those who are not working in computing. Here arethree actions we have identified to spark girls’ interest at the junior high stage:
Action 1: Deepen girls’ hands-on
computing experience

Action 2: Change girls’ perceptionsof computing

Our study reveals that girls who play computer
games when they are young are four times more
likely to go into computing or coding roles as adults
than those who don’t (see Figure 4). This highlights
an opportunity to generate enthusiasm in younger
girls by introducing them to coding in fun ways
through computer games and toys, whether atschool or at home. A good way to help achieve this
could be to incentivize manufacturers to develop
and promote games and toys that appeal
specifically to girls.

Overall, the image and its “boys only”
associations of computing influence all stagesof a girl’s journey en route to a career, but they
have relatively more influence on younger girls.
Our study reveals that girls interested in studying
computing are less likely to see the subject as justfor boys or to think that boys are better at it than
girls. They are also less likely to say they are‘average’ at computing (as opposed to being
confident in it). Similarly, they are less likely
to say that they are bad at math and to
think of computing as “geeky”
rather than “cool.”Girls with early exposure to games are 4x more
likely to go into computing/coding

EARLY
EXPOSURE

39%

NO EARLYEXPOSURE10%TO GAMESTO GAMES

Figure 4: Impact of early exposure to games on girls’
likelihood to go into computing

Girls who think computing
is cool will likely have an
11% greater interest incomputing, and those who
think computing is “for girls”
will have a 25% higher
interest than those who
don’t (see Figure 1).

10Cracking the Gender Code“When we were at
middle school, there
was this program called
Scratch for kids to learn
how to code, and thatwas really cool.”
YOUNG WORKER, NEW YORKGreater efforts need to be made at school andat the broader national level to tackle stereotypes.
More focus is required on working with the media
industry to change how computing and coding are
portrayed. According to Computer Science for All,
portrayals of men as computer scientists andengineers in family films outnumber portrayalsof women by 14.25 to 1.13
Action 3: Support parents and teachers inunderstanding the wider role of computing
Our research shows that the image of computing
is changing for the better: 62% of junior high girls
say they perceive it as “cool.” And 60% of highschool girls and 57% of parents and young people
working in the computing industry agree. Still, there
is little awareness among any group that applying
computing and coding to real societal problems
can help change the world, which can be a
powerful hook for girls and a magnet for women. So
while young girls want to make the world a better
place, they don’t see how a computing job would
help them achieve their dreams and ambitions.
Unfortunately, young girls don’t get much guidancefrom adults on how working in computing canenable them to realize their aspirations. Just 17%
of parents and young people working in computing
believe this kind of work can change the world. Even
when parents want to provide positive guidance,
many feel ill-prepared and under informed about
opportunities to study coding at school. Some 46%
of parents believe computing and coding are highpriorities, but only 25% feel well informed about thebenefits of studying computing/coding.

As for teachers, only 11% believe computing canchange the world. Compared to parents, young
workers, undergraduates and girls, teachers areleast likely to see computing as cool or well paid.
Worse still, 66% of computing teachers say thatthey would rather be teaching something else.
Taken together, these findings point to an imperative
to provide parents and teachers with more help andinformation about the broad benefits of computing
and its role driving the new digital business models
that are transforming the U.S. economy. A ‘Teachers
Who Code’ program could combine technicaleducation with a greater appreciation for the
dynamic role of computing in business strategies.
Alongside the Teach for America program, greater
efforts could be made to hire not just graduates toteaching but young computing professionals. Moreformal links between the technology and teachingprofessions could help improve teachers’
perceptions of computing.

“My dad helps create apps, so I
thought that would be fun to do.”
HIGH SCHOOL GIRL, ATLANTAGirls versus boys
Generally, our research shows that the same levers that boost
girls’ interest in a computing/coding major apply to boys as
well. But some significant variations emerge even when they
are equally exposed to computing at school. For example:• Boys’ interest in a computing major is 26% higher than girls,
and boys are 19% more interested in computing/coding as amajor compared to girls.
• While 40% of both boys and girls had role models in highschool, boys’ interest in computing/coding is 13% higher.
• While boys’ level of interest in computing/coding is the same
whether they have male or female teachers, girls’ interest issignificantly higher if they have female teachers.

11

Cracking the Gender CodeIN HIGH SCHOOLSUSTAIN GIRLS’ENGAGEMENT
Make sure that they don’t fall into the “high school trap”
The high school years represent a perilous time for girls’ involvement in computing. As our study shows,large numbers of girls who were engaged in the subject in junior high lose interest in high school andnever come back to computing (see Figure 1). And, as Figure 5 shows, of those studying computing/coding at some stage, 84% do so in junior high vs. only 67% in high school. This is why the priority in highschool must be to keep them involved and engaged – and ensure that they avoid falling into the “highschool trap” where previous gains in securing girls’ interest in computing/coding are lost due to a rangeof new negative factors that have an impact at this next stage of their education. We have identified
three actions to help expand the pipeline of high school girls going into computing:
Action 1: Redesign high school computing
courses to appeal to girls
First-hand exposure to computing or coding
emerges in our research as a key factor indeveloping and maintaining girls’ interest. Efforts
should be made to increase the availability ofcomputing and coding in all high schools, inconjunction with actions aimed at providing
more innovative and engaging teaching.
Where girls are exposed tocomputing/coding
Schools can learn from the summer camp
experience. We found that 81% of high school girls
who studied computing over the summer wereinterested in studying computing at college,compared to 52% of those who only studied
computing at school.
Exposure injunior high school

Exposure inhigh school

84%
67%

64%
52%

19%

In schools

16%

13%

15%

13%

8%

Online on
my owntime

On theweekends
outside ofschoolIn a summer
camp
outside ofschoolNet total
exposure

Figure 5: Girls’ experience of computing at junior highschool and high school“With just two to five years’
experience I could get areally good career.”
HIGH SCHOOL GIRL, ATLANTA
One of the reasons for that is likely to be the allfemale environment and the engaging approaches
to teaching. In short, girls at summer camp findcomputing enjoyable as they study with theirfemale friends. Schools that can create some ofthese conditions through curriculae geared to girls
will likely see higher levels of engagement.
The positive impact of these changes could be
amplified still by repositioning computing courses
to align them with girls’ interest in problemsolving and making the world a better place. This
would involve placing less emphasis on theory incoursework. Right now, a far larger proportion ofhigh school girls (33%) say that they do not enjoy
computing classes compared to junior high girls(15%). So it is vital that our schools and teachers
show girls that pursuing computer science is one
way that they as individuals can make a real impact
on the world.

12

Cracking the Gender Code“Definitely [girls want]
Teen girls are highly impressionable, and as wemore clubs and after
have demonstrated, media images strongly affecttheir behavior and career choices.
schools programs.
We should be making
What’s needed is grassroots action throughgovernment- and/or industry-driven re-branding
a connection between
campaigns designed to dispel the myths about
computing – geeky, only-for-boys and so on – andladies of distinction
explain how people who work in computing canhelp improve the world.
and computing or
Such initiatives might be modeled on successfulcoding, because
campaigns such as “What an engineer looks like,”
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” or the “Play 60”
a lot of the girls
campaign by the NFL. Campaigns targeted atwant to feel
motivating girls to go into computing should also
encourage girls to be proactive in using computing
empowered.”
to support their peers, such as developing apps
Action 2: Create grassroots campaigns
to motivate peer group actionthat address girls’ issues at school or that foster
collaboration and self-support.

TEACHER, ATLANTA

Florida boosts computing in schools
In early 2016, Florida senators approved a bill enabling students in the state’s
high schools to take classes in computer coding in place of a foreign language.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Jeremy Ring, who said: “If you don’t have an
understanding of technology, you will be left behind. It’s a basic skill, as muchas reading and writing.”14
Delivering inspiring teaching: Arkansas schools focus on training coding
teachers
Arkansas approved a new bill in 2015 requiring schools to offer computerscience classes in all high schools by the fall of that year – it’s the first state topass such a law. Almost 4,000 students enrolled – a 260% increase from theprevious year. The Arkansas program also trains teachers. The plan is to certify
more than 1,000 coding teachers in high and junior high schools, and provide
basic training to 10,000 K-8 teachers.15

13

Cracking the Gender CodeAction 3: Attract more women teachers
According to our research, having inspiring
teachers for computing/coding makes girls much
more likely to go into computing – and the uplift iseven greater if those inspiring teachers are female.
This highlights the need to increase the number ofwomen teachers in high school, and provide rolemodels for girls.
Steps to attract more women teachers shouldbe accompanied by initiatives to ensure that thosepeople who influence, teach, and guide high school
girls – especially teachers and parents – are better
informed. This might include providing teachers,
for their lesson plans, with real-world examples of
how computing is transforming various industries,
from entertainment to healthcare to hospitality.
As Figure 6 shows, 73% of high school girls who
had a teacher who inspired them said they wereinterested in studying computing, compared toonly 26% of those who had a less inspiring teacher.

Teaching is likely to be more inspiring if theteaching profession and businesses collaborated
to bring young technology professionals into
schools as storytellers and mentors. The more highschool girls can appreciate today’s transformative
power of digital – within every field and every
industry – the more they will see its value in theirown futures. Significantly, 62% of girls in highschool who have had someone encourage themto study computing and coding say they are likely
to major in it at college, compared to only 15%
who have had no role model.

“My calculus teacher
in high school was
also my engineeringand design professor
so he was so
Girls who have an inspiring teacher inpassionate about it,high school are significantly more likely
to go into computing/coding
and just funny - hemade the class fun.
HAD
The fact that he made26%
LESS
me enjoy the subject
INSPIRINGTEACHERinspired me.”STUDENT, ATLANTA

HAD
MORE

INSPIRINGTEACHER

73%

Figure 6: Impact of an inspiring coding teacher on girls’
intention to go into computing

14

Cracking the Gender CodeIN COLLEGEINSPIRE YOUNGWOMEN
TOWARD A CAREER IN COMPUTING
Role models, retooled courses and summer immersion programs
While the “high school trap” makes that stage critical for girls’ interest incomputing, the college years are equally vital – for different reasons. As our study
reveals, the door to computing never closes, and college is the time when young
women are open to new ideas about their careers. Well over half (58%) of thoseworking in coding and computing who went to college did not major in computing
as undergraduates. This shows that when college women realize how they can
put computing skills to work in almost any career, they become more open tocomputing as an option. Here are three actions at the college stage to inspire
women to pursue careers in computing:
ACTION 1: Give computing courses a makeover
There’s clear potential to give the language and image of computing a makeover.
This includes engaging young women by describing computing courses – andpotential careers in the field – in ways that capture women’s strong interest in
problem-solving, especially around real-world and social issues.

“I was surprised by how easy(coding) was and how quickly
you could pick it up.”YOUNG WORKER, NEW YORK

Colleges that have taken this step have seen a dramaticincrease in female participation. For example, in its
introductory computer science course, the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley16 decided to emphasize the impact andrelevance of computing to the world at large, beginningeach class with a discussion of a recent tech-related news
article. UC Berkeley also renamed the “Introduction to
Symbolic Programming” course “Beauty and the Joy ofComputing.” While the redesign was not strictly to attract
female students, women have outnumbered men among
the course attendees for the first time in 20 years.

15

Cracking the Gender CodeAction 2: Offer female students
immersion programs
Our research shows that college women are
open to convert to computing while at college.
Therefore, a positive step would be to offer all
undergraduates – not just computing or technology
majors – on-campus and summer immersion“There’s so much
freedom in it and you
can code what you
want, design what
you want, and makeit actually work.”

Harvey Mudd College’s female-oriented computer science
courses see women’s participation surge
Ten years ago, women accounted for only 10% of computerscience majors at Harvey Mudd College in California. Todaythe college has boosted female participation dramatically bymaking its courses more accessible and inspiring to young
women, using a three-strand approach. First, it undertook arebranding campaign, including renaming “Introduction toprogramming in Java” to “Creative approaches to problem
solving in science and engineering using Python.” Second,
after the introductory class, female faculty members started
taking the students to the annual Grace Hopper Conference
that celebrates women in technology. Third, it offereda research summer course between the freshman andsophomore years. Within four years, these changes saw the
proportion of women enrolling in Harvey Mudd’s computing
courses leap to 40%.18

STUDENT, ATLANTA
programs to experience computing/coding.
Harvey Mudd College17 in Claremont, California,
has created various initiatives to make thecomputer science department more welcoming
to all undergraduates, including offering summer
courses. As the information panel describes,
40% of the college’s computer science
students are now women.
Action 3: Create female mentorshipand role model programs
Female undergraduates and young workers tellus that having someone who encourages themplays a significant role in the decision to major
in computing (see Figure 7). We also find that the
influence of role models is strong among women
who don’t study computing at college but thengo on to pursue a computing career.
These results point to the value of having
visible role models who can “sell” computing
and coding to girls at the undergraduate level.
These role models can inspire college girls,
whether they major in the humanities or in
STEM disciplines, to take interest in joining
the computing workforce, and provide themwith the essential impetus and directionneeded to do so.

“When I switched my major I
decided my focus would begame design because my sole
focus is interaction. It’s fun
combining interaction withthe body with something thatcan react on the screen.”
YOUNG WORKER, NEW YORK

16

Cracking the Gender CodeGirls who are encouraged by a role model
are more likely to major in computing/coding

by Accenture research that found that female
members of corporate boards are nearly twice
as likely as their male counterparts to haveprofessional technology experience.

HAD
SOMEONE

62% “I saw the opportunity, it’s

DID NOT HAVESOMEONE15%

WHO ENCOURAGED
THEM

WHO ENCOURAGED
THEM

Figure 7: Influence of role models on girls’ decisions
to major in computing

In this report, we have included several examplesof female computing role models who could inspirecollege girls in this way.
The scale of women’s current and potential
contribution to computing is further demonstrated

a growing field and I saw
the money. Coming out ofschool I definitely wanted
a job that could pay off
student loans and where
I could grow.”
YOUNG WORKER, ATLANTA

According to Accenture’s 2016 Women on Boards
Study,19 26% of female board members in the U.S.
have tech experience, versus 17% of men. Clearly,
women with computing and technology experience
seem to have an advantage at all levels of business.
The data also suggests that there is fertile ground on
which to develop mentor and role model programs.

Teresa Deveaux, Director at Microsoft
Teresa Deveaux, Director on Microsoft’s Management Excellence Strategy team, joined
Microsoft 17 years ago as manager of a Product Support team. “I didn’t have any computerscience education,” she remembers. But she did have a call center background. “I couldn’t haveanswered a technical call, but I had the right background to help support the call center.” Hercareer in computing took off from there.20
Lynn Root, Software Engineer, Spotify
While working as a banking analyst, Lynn Root originally planned to get a masters in financial
engineering. But in order to enroll she had to know how to program in the computing language,“C.” She took an online class, fell in love with programming – and the rest is history. She taught
herself how to program and landed her first job at Red Hat in 2012. Then she joined Spotify,
where she has had a number of roles. Lynn is the founder of PyLadies San Francisco,a mentorship group for women and friends in the Python software community.21

17

Cracking the Gender CodeACT NOW

Number of women in the computing workforce in millions

Seeking to improve the pipeline of talent, Accenture
and Girls Who Code have used the findings fromour study to pinpoint precise actions at each stageof a girl’s educational journey. The sooner theseactions are taken – and the earlier in a girl’s education– the bigger the uplift in getting girls and young
women into computing. The figures speak forthemselves: more than two-thirds (69%) of the next
decade’s potential growth in the number of femalecomputing workers will come from starting ourwork with younger girls, especially in junior high.

3,900,000

3,400,000

As Figure 8 illustrates, girls currently in juniorhigh have the potential to fill 1.6 million computing
positions by 2025. In contrast, girls currently in highschool have the potential to fill 700,000 computing
positions by that year. And the potential to expand
the pipeline with undergraduate girls – while clearly
worth pursuing – amounts to just 40,000 positions
by 2025, although these would clearly hit the job
market faster than the other two groups.

GREATEST IMPACT
OF ANY ACTIONSTAKEN WILL BE
FELT POST - 2020

In 2025
1.6m women incomputing fromtoday’s junior highschool girls

2,900,000

700,000 women incomputing from today’shigh school girls

2,400,000

1,900,000

40,000 womenfrom today’s college
undergraduate girls

1,400,000

900,000
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Baseline

2016

2017

College

2018

2019

2020

High School& College

Figure 8: The impact of actions taken with girls at different stages during their education

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Junior High School,
High School & College

18

Cracking the Gender Code

WHO WILL CRACK
THE CODE?
We have shown that there is an opportunity to deliver
dramatic increases in female participation in computing
across the U.S., thereby providing huge and lasting
benefits for the whole of society and the U.S. economy.
But who will crack the gender code to enable this? Itneeds to be all of us. Girls and young women. Schools.
Businesses. Government. Not-for-profits. This work
demands collaboration around a shared agenda.
America needs more girls and young women incomputing. It’s time to make it happen. Together.

19

Cracking the Gender CodeMETHODOLOGY
Accenture Research measured the pipeline of
the female computing workforce by assessing therelative effectiveness of actions that impact girls’
interest in computing. We took four steps:
1. We collected a range of published data on
U.S. population, education and the natureof the computing workforce.
2. We undertook in-depth qualitative researchwith more than 150 individuals in twocontrasting communities – New York andAtlanta. We explored the topic of computing
with girls aged 12–16, with their parents andfriends. We observed high school debates on
computing and conducted focus groups withteachers, principals and young workers.

3. We ran five surveys in June and July 2016 thatwere representative of the U.S. population. These
included interviewing 4,000 girls in junior highand high school, 500 boys aged 12–18, 650 maleand female college students, 2,000 working
women under the age of 30 (including 500
working in computing), 250 teachers andprincipals and 2,200 parents of girls aged 12–18.
4. Using the above data sources, we created amodel to identify the factors that most influence
girls’ decisions to pursue computing further at
each stage of their educational journey. The
model was then able to demonstrate the impact
on the number of women working in computingof acting on the most positively influential factors.
The model was then used to calculate thepotential uplift in pay that comes from computing
and therefore estimate the impact on women’s
earnings in the U.S.

Footnotes
1.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm Source: BLS - Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey2.

http://www.aauw.org/2015/03/11/is-computing-just-for-men

3. http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/21/357629765/when-women-stopped-coding
4. 	http://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm Source: Accenture Research calculations based on BLS - Labor Force Statistics from the Current
Population Survey; Table 11 - 2011 to 2015 saw 4.6% growth in computing jobs v 1.5% growth in other jobs
5. http://robomatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Computer-Science-Education-Week-Infographic-2-blue.jpg
6. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center https://nscresearchcenter.org/snapshotreport-degreeattainment15
7.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/imageofstemdepictiondoc_02102016_clean.pdf

8. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf
9. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf
10. The IT–BPM Sector in India, Strategic Review 2015, Nasscom: http://www.nasscom.in/download/summary_file/fid/110170NASSCOM
11. 	https://www.accenture.com/il-en/~/media/Accenture/Conversion-Assets/DotCom/Documents/Global/PDF/Technology_6/
Accenture-The-Looming-Global-Analytics-Talent-Mismatch-in-Banking.pdf
12. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/gender-equality-research-2016
13. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/imageofstemdepictiondoc_02102016_clean.pdf
14. 	http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/03/01/florida-senate-approves-making-coding-foreign-language/81150796
15. 	http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/06/09/arkansas-school-coding-initiative-centers-on-teacher-pd.html and http://time.
com/4203277/computer-science-education/
16. 	http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Tech-shift-More-women-in-computer-science-classes-5243026.php
17. 	http://readwrite.com/2014/09/02/women-in-computer-science-why-so-few/
18. 	https://higheredtoday.org/2016/03/02/harvey-mudd-college-confronts-lack-of-female-computer-science-majors/
19. 	https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/female-board-members-far-more-likely-than-male-board-members-to-have-professionaltechnology-experience-accenture-research-finds.htm
20. 	Adapted from https://blogs.microsoft.com/jobs/international/microsoftleadershareswisdomeongrowingyourcareer/#hJjdapBT54zoCTpm.99
21. http://www.roguelynn.com/about/About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining
unmatched experience and specialized skills across morethan 40 industries and all business functions – underpinnedby the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at
the intersection of business and technology to help clients
improve their performance and create sustainable value for
their stakeholders. With approximately 384,000 people
serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
innovation to improve the way the world works and lives.
Visit us at www.accenture.com.
About Accenture Research
Accenture Research is a global team of industry and digital
analysts who create data-driven insights to identify disruptors,
opportunities and risks for Accenture and its clients. Using
innovative business research techniques such as economic
value modeling, analytics, crowdsourcing, expert networks,
surveys, data visualization and research with academic andbusiness partners, they create hundreds of points of view thatare published by Accenture every year.
About Girls Who CodeGirls Who Code is a national non-profit working to close thegender gap in technology. Through its Summer Immersion
Program and Girls Who Code Clubs, the organization is leading
the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young womenwith the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.
Additional information is available at www.girlswhocode.com.

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