There is growing public interest in why men from dominant groups have preferential access to positions in high-tech institutions, which hold great sway in our thoroughly computerized society. In this talk, based on a two-year ethnographic study, I describe women’s lived experiences as marginalized members of computer science and engineering. Their experiences reveal the values and practices of high-tech institutions and how they reproduce discrimination and inequality not only in their workplaces, but also in broader U.S. society. I argue that social change aspirations of these marginalized members of computing cultures, when combined with feminist consciousness, can lead to collective action in pursuit not only of equity in computing but also in broader cultural domains. 

Speaker Bio

Professor Coleen Carrigan is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Science, Technology and Society (STS) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Using ethnography, she investigates the cultural dimensions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), with a particular emphasis on Computer Science and Engineering, and why these high-status fields appear impervious to desegregation. Professor Carrigan shares the findings from her research to foster welcoming environments in STEM and help strengthen alliances between liberal arts scholars, engineers and scientists to enhance civic engagement and combat social injustices. She is a recipient of a five-year Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for her research into the intersections of gender, race and social values in computing.