Ask HN: Will more women study computer science after smartphones and tablets?

1 point_7fvc1 comment

NPR study reveals women in computer science drops around 1984 when PC becomes popular toy for boys.

http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/10/21/357629765/when-women-stopped-coding

The curve flattens in 2007. Will more girls study computer science because of familiarity with smartphones and tablets?

I think the devices alone will not have an impact. For one, the rise of smartphones and tablets is paralleled with the decline in laptops and desktops. (AKA. the machines most software is written on). So while computing platforms are becoming ubiquitous, the platforms required to develop software are seeing their market shares shrink. If someone chooses a tablet or phone as their main computing device then it will be much more inconvenient to actually generate code.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com