Gender, Social Interactions and Interests of Characters Illustrated in Scratch and Python Programming Books for Children
S. de Wit (TU Delft - Software Engineering)
Felienne Hermans (TU Delft - Software Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
M.M. Specht (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)
Fenia Aivaloglou (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)
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Abstract
From an early age, girls may opt out of Computer Science (CS) for not fitting the CS stereotypes of being male, asocial and technology-oriented. These stereotypes might be strengthened by children's books on programming, but little is known about this. Therefore, this paper explores the gender, social interactions and interests of characters illustrated in ten popular extracurricular Scratch and Python children's books. We found more masculine than feminine characters in all but one book. Furthermore, nearly half of the characters are illustrated alone, and 15% are interacting with computers & robots. Over two-thirds of the characters fit at least one stereotypical trait. With this paper, we aim to create awareness of stereotypes in CS books among creators, publishers and buyers. Making and using more inclusive CS materials will help close the gender gap.
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