Enhancing Women's Experiences in Software Engineering

Context: Women face many challenges in their lives, which affect their daily experiences and influence major life decisions, starting before they enroll in bachelor's programs, setting a difficult path for those aspiring to enter the software development industry. Goal: To explore the challenges that women face across three different life stages, beginning as high school students, continuing as university undergraduates, and extending into their professional lives, as well as potential solutions to address these challenges. Research Method: We conducted a literature review followed by workshops to understand the perspectives of high school women, undergraduates, and practitioners regarding the same set of challenges and solutions identified in the literature. Results: Regardless of the life stage, women feel discouraged in a toxic environment often characterized by a lack of inclusion, harassment, and the exhausting need to prove themselves. We also discovered that some challenges are specific to certain life stages; for example, issues related to maternity were mentioned only by practitioners. Conclusions: Gender-related challenges arise before women enter the software development field when the proportion of men and women is still similar. While the need to prove themselves is mentioned at all three stages, high school women's challenges are more often directed toward convincing their parents that they are mature enough to handle their responsibilities. As they progress, the emphasis shifts to proving their competence in managing responsibilities for which they have received training. Increasing the inclusion of women in the field should, therefore, start earlier, and profound societal changes may be necessary to boost women's participation.