page_title: Women in computing in Canada
section_title: Institutions and organizations
hierarchical_section_title: Women in computing in Canada / Attempts to address inequalities / Institutions and organizations
caption_attribution_description: English: A Ladies Learning Code workshop in Toronto.
context_page_description: Canada shares many of the concerns particularly prevalent in the developed and developing world about the current and future roles of women in computing, especially as these occupations increase in importance. As in much of the world where computing and information technology is a large industry, women have historically faced underrepresentation in education and industry. As a result, some Canadian women pursuing careers in these fields have had a lack of role models and faced sexism. There are many institutions and initiatives in Canada, however, which seek to increase representation for women in computing fields, as well as the fields of natural science and engineering in general.
context_section_description: Canada has several not-for-profit organizations dedicated to supporting women in computing disciplines.
  Ladies Learning Code is a Toronto-based not-for-profit which hosts events for women in computing and has a community outreach program. The same founders also have recently formed Girls Learning Code, which hosts technology camps and workshops for "Toronto's most creative 9 to 13-year-old girls".
  Chic Geek is a Calgary-based not-for-profit which creates opportunities for women to explore their geeky sides, inspire one another, and build meaningful personal and professional relationships.  They organize technical workshops for women and girls as well as networking events.
  Pixelles is a Montreal-based not-for-profit which hosts incubators and follow along programming to help women learn  skills to develop video games.
  Dames Making Games is a Toronto-based not-for-profit which hosts workshops, "game jams" and social events to support women learning to create games.
  Many Canadian universities also have resources designed for women in underrepresented disciplines such as computer science.
  The University of Toronto hosts monthly lunches for all female students and faculty in Computer Science, and a mailing list.
  The University of British Columbia has a "Focus on Women in Computing (FoWCS)" committee which aims to increase the participation of women in computer science "at all academic levels".
  Simon Fraser University has a Women in Computing Science (WICS) group that hosts professional networking events, technical workshops, outreach programs, and social activities.
  The University of Waterloo has a Women in Computer Science organization (WICS).
  The School of Computing at Queen's University has a Women in Computer Science organization (WISC).
  The University of Manitoba has a Women in Computer Science (WICS or UMWICS) group that organizes professional networking events, technical workshops, outreach programs, and social activities.
caption: A Ladies Learning Code workshop in Toronto.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS REBEL T2i", "Image Software": "Adobe Bridge CS5", "Image DateTime": "2011:11:27 14:07:58", "Image ExifOffset": "138", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/100", "EXIF FNumber": "2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "3200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:11:26 12:00:40", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "415241/62500", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "7/4", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "161/50", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "28", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "42", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "5184", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3456", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1036800/181", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "691200/119", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}