Statistics
Full Statistics
Summaries
Studies and links
Full statistics
We've attempted to bring together the most relevant statistics regarding the numbers, and percentages of women in computer science at each level in education and academia.
Data is available in .html and .csv formats.
Sources for the data and short notes explaining what they mean are on each of the sheets.
Cambridge Applications and Acceptances
The first table shows the number of conditional offers made for computer science by gender. The second table also shows the acceptance rate (= number acceptances / number applied) and then the percentage of acceptances awarded to women. Note that applications to read Mathematics with Computer Science are not included.
Cambridge Student Numbers (inc. postgraduate)
These tables show the total numbers, by gender, of students in different courses in the Cambridge Computing Lab and the corresponding percentages of females, between 1998 and 2003. This includes undergraduate, diploma, M. Phil and graduate students.
Cambridge Honours Examination results
This large table gives detailed data on the number of students, by gender, year and part, gaining each class in examinations since 1998.
Summaries
Student snapshot
Total numbers of students and percentage of females at each level, by year through education levels into Cambridge.
| Level | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | |||||
| Total Number | % female | Total Number | % female | Total Number | % female | Total Number | % female | Total Number | % female | |
| GCSE Information Technology | 97963 | 39.7% | 111890 | 40.3% | 116033 | 40.7% | 92054 | 40.3% | ~ | ~ |
| A level in Computing | ~ | ~ | 21744 | 22.7% | 26780 | 25.9% | 28175 | 26.5% | ~ | ~ |
| Cambridge Undergraduates (First year CS) | 106 | 9.4% | 107 | 19.6% | 127 | 11.0% | 130 | 16.2% | 105 | 14.3% |
| Cambridge Diploma Comp Sci | 47 | 21.3% | 40 | 15.0% | 23 | 8.7% | 33 | 15.2% | 24 | 16.7% |
| Cambridge M. Phils | 20 | 30.0% | 18 | 22.2% | 21 | 23.8% | 23 | 30.4% | 26 | 26.9% |
| Cambridge Graduate Student | 56 | 17.9% | 57 | 8.8% | 66 | 7.6% | 112 | 15.1% | 123 | 17.1% |
~ indicates that no data was available when the table was compiled.
Cambridge Applications and Acceptances
Acceptances to Cambridge Computer Science
| Year | Men | Women | |||
| Number | Rate | Number | Rate | % Women | |
| 2002 | 90 | 21.6% | 14 | 26.9% | 15.6 |
| 2001 | 96 | 20.9% | 15 | 22.4% | 15.6 |
| 2000 | 71 | 16.3% | 17 | 27.0% | 23.9 |
| 1999 | 77 | 20.2% | 9 | 24.3% | 11.7 |
This table shows the number of conditional offers made for computer science and the acceptance rate (= number acceptances / number applied) and then the percentage of acceptances awarded to women. In the past four years women have had a higher acceptance rate than men. Note that applications to read Mathematics with Computer Science are not included.
Studies and links
There have been a lot of relevant studies to anaylse the difference in education between men and women. Here are links to just a few. There are many more if you search online.
Studies (data)
- SIGIS inclusion, gender and the information society.
http://www.rcss.ed.ac.uk/sigis/ - Equalitec - best practice guides.
http://www.equalitec.com/ - WINIT survey, ISI salford.
http://www.iris.salford.ac.uk/GRIS/winit/
Studies (reports)
- JCAP
The 'Joint Committee on Academic Performance' published its findings early in 2003. The report is a detailed analysis of the extent of difference in Tripos performance between different groups at the University of Cambridge and a exploration of some of the reasons behind them. There is a lot of data relating to the gender divide and some of the science subjects in particular.
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2002-03/weekly/5913/6.html - NSF - Report on Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 2000
The American National Science Federation's Report from 2000 is is the 10th in a series of Congressionally-mandated biennial reports on the status of women and minorities in science and engineering. The report documents both short- and long-term trends in the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering education and employment. There are also many other reports on similiar topics available on this site.
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf00327 - The Incredible Shrinking Pipeline, Tracy Camp
This report, published in 1997, sought to gather much of the research on the status of women in computing and the reasons behind it.
Short survey paper: http://www.acm.org/women/documents/pipelineshrinkage.htm
Full Report: http://www.acm.org/women/documents/finalreport.pdf
