It's no secret that men far outnumber women in the fields of computer science and engineering. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology, between 2000 and 2012, there's been a "64% decline in the number of first-year undergraduate women interested in majoring in computer science." In fact, in 2012, a mere 18% of computer and information science undergraduate degree recipients were women.
Can a new LinkedIn and Facebook project help turn things around?
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has just announced that—with the help of the Anita Borg Institute, Facebook, and LinkedIn—she will be expanding the Lean In project by launching Lean In's Computer Science and Engineering (CS&E) chapter. According to Lean In's website, the chapter will provide mentorship and support for "women studying computer science and engineering at universities around the world."
Perhaps this project will help challenge problematic attitudes surrounding women in tech? We can only hope.
Image of Sheryl Sandberg: Wikimedia Commons
