Screening: Code – Debugging the Gender Gap + Q&A

This screening will be followed by a discussion with computer scientist Dr. Sue Black.

At a time when the US tech sector outpaces the overall growth of the employment market, CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap asks the important question: where are all the women? This revealing and uplifting documentary examines the reasons why more girls are not seeking opportunities in computer science and explores how cultural mindsets, stereotypes, educational hurdles and sexism all play a role in widening this employment gap.

Director Robin Hauser Reynolds opens by pointing out that in the early days of programming, women dominated the field. This was in no small part because male engineers thought this “soft” work was relatively trivial compared to building machines. In the decades that followed, more and more women entered computing; by the mid-1980s, women made up more than 35 percent of computer science graduates. Then began a falloff that persists to this day, with women making up only 15 percent of computer science majors in the U.S.

Expert voices from the worlds of technology, psychology, science, and education are intercut with inspiring stories of diverse women who are engaged in the fight to challenge complacency in the tech industry and to have their voices heard. CODE aims to inspire change in mindsets, in the educational system, in startup culture and in the way women see themselves in the field of coding.

Director: Robin Hauser Reynolds
Producers: Robin Hauser Reynolds, Staci Hartman, Christie Herring
Year: 2015
Running time: 80′

Dr. Sue Black was named one of the top 50 women in tech in Europe in 2015 and is an award-winning computer scientist, radical thinker and passionate social entrepreneur. She has regular tech columns in both The Guardian and The Daily Mirror.