The Técnico Gender Balance Group, the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal) and the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID), organised the talk ‘Breaking Barriers in Technology: Women in Computing at Carnegie Mellon and Global Perspectives’, on 26 June, at Instituto Superior Técnico (Alameda campus). Jeria Quesenberry, author of the book ‘Kicking Butt in Computer Science: Women in Computing at Carnegie Mellon University’, was the guest speaker.
During her research, the professor of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) found that the percentage of women completing technology-related studies at CMU has risen from between 5% and 12% in the late 1990s to 93% today. Furthermore, in 2019 the number of women taking courses in this field was already 49%.
Quesenberry highlighted the change in admission processes for students with strong potential – as opposed to prior programming experience – but also in culture and environment, which brought in more female students with a broader range of interests.
The Técnico Gender Balance Group has existed since 2016, as pointed out by the president of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, when sharing the institution’s commitment to gender balance. The president of Técnico said that true equity has not yet been achieved and that this has been one of the concerns of his mandate.
A round table on gender imbalance in Portuguese academia
The event also included a round table titled ‘Gender Equality in Higher Education Institutions: Knowing the Reality to Improve It’. Although Portugal started late in tackling gender inequalities in higher education, steps are being taken to balance the existing gaps, as explained by Anália Torres, a researcher at the School of Social and Political Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa).
In 2022, ULisboa created a Plan for Gender Equality, Inclusion, and Non-Discrimination, to develop a structure, a culture and a set of actions to create and monitor equal opportunities and the reduction of inequalities, including those arising from gender, explained the Vice-Rector of ULisboa, João Peixoto, also stressing that diversity is a key driver of innovation.
Also present at the round table was the Portuguese Secretary of State for Science and Técnico professor, Ana Paiva, who highlighted the need to guarantee gender balance in the law. However, supporting education, awareness-raising, and cultural activities can have a big impact.
According to the Técnico professor Luís Lemos Alves, the current assumption that gender balance is no longer an issue reinforces the need to evaluate and understand it. He gives an example: ‘Although there is a clear non-discrimination policy for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) positions in academia, the fact that women are not applying highlights the need to understand why this is happening and what can be done to change it.’
The under-representation of women in leadership positions in academia was pointed out by Inês Lynce, co-director of the CMU Portugal Program, professor at Técnico and president of INESC-ID, who defended the importance of fostering a cultural environment that builds self-confidence in young girls.
The challenges faced by students in STEM areas and the importance of incentives and support, such as scholarships, were listed by Leonor Barreiros, a master’s student in Computer Science and Engineering at Técnico.
* This text was written in collaboration with CMU Portugal.
