The Need for Female Mentors


One of the central problems facing women in computing is the lack of female mentors in the discipline. Because Computer Science is a highly male-dominated field, there are few visible women in the computing profession. As a result, female student Computer Scientists have few women faculty members to look to for guidance and to emulate.

The mentor plays a crucial role in the intellectual and professional development of any student, regardless of discipline. He or she is responsible for introducing the student to the research environment, providing direction and support for the student's work and acting as a resource to help the student make connections within the field. More importantly, however, the mentor "helps to form with the protege the sense of him or herself as a member of the profession, encouraging and fostering a self-image as a legitimate member of the community of scholars" (see Ellen Spertus' "Why are There so Few Female Computer Scientists").

The presence of a mentor is particularly important to women in Computer Science. Since female Computer Science students are often isolated in their field, a mentor can provide these women with the encouragement and support they need to overcome some of the gender-related barriers in computing. Likewise, female mentors can serve as role models to female computer science students, as they are examples of women who has been successful in the the male-dominated arena of Computer Science. Unfortunately, there is currently a dearth of mentors for women in the field of Computer Science. According to the 1999 ACM report, "Becoming a Computer Scientist," women are currently "much more likely than men to be mentored by female faculty members." However, as the number of women in Computer Science shrinks, the number of potential female mentors will decrease as well, thus reducing the opportunities for women students to identify and connect with a professional role model. This raises the question why men aren't mentoring women in the field of Computer Science. After all, since computing is a predominantly male field, having male professionals serve as mentors to women would eliminate the problem of a small mentor pool. Unfortunately, many men do not feel comfortable mentoring female students. Some male professionals believe that women are not serious about their academic careers and will leave academia upon finding a husband. As a result, these men think that encouraging female students is not worth the effort. Other men would rather mentor a student who "looks 'like' them" (ie a student of the same gender) (see Ellen Spertus' "Why are There so Few Female Computer Scientists"). Likewise, many men fear that a mentor relationship with a female student will be interpreted as sexual. Consequently, women's options for professional mentors in the Computer Science continue to remain low.