Ten faculty members from the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of A Coruña participated in the report. Among these ten faculty members are a National Computer Science Award winner, an academic at the Royal Academy of Exact Sciences, researchers honored with awards such as the Ada Byron, an associate dean, leading figures in their field, and founders of pioneering companies. Giving them visibility is one of the challenges in attracting more female students.
The situation at the Faculty of Computer Science where the teachers featured in the report studied couldn’t be more unbalanced. In this course, only 13% of first-year computer engineering students at the University of A Coruña are women. A similar reality is seen on the Santiago campuses, with 16%, and in Ourense, at the University of Vigo, with 12% new female students. The phenomenon is global, and the stereotype that it is a traditionally male-dominated degree is intensifying. In this regard, Virginia Mato points out that "There are fewer of them, but they have the best academic records."
Figuring out why this imbalance keeps women away from one of the most promising fields of study with the best job prospects is the big question. The ten female teachers gathered are women of science who don’t forget the social and emotional aspects that lead young women to choose their studies and profession. With this report, they aim to raise awareness, dispel the stereotype, and show that computer science is also for women.
The following individuals participated in this report: Berta Guijarro Berdiñas, professor at the UDC; Nieves R. Brisaboa, full professor at the UDC; Elena Hernández Pereira, professor at the UDC; Adriana Dapena Janeiro, full professor and vice-dean at the UDC; María Martínez Pérez, professor and researcher at the UDC; Ángeles Saavedra Places, professor at the UDC; Laura Castro Souto, professor, member of Hello Sister, and director of the Corunet Chair; Verónica Bolón Canedo, professor at the UDC; Virginia Mato Abad, professor and researcher at the UDC and director of the ALDABA WIB Chair; and Beatriz Pérez Sánchez, professor at the UDC.