When the first computer science courses opened in Brazil, women were often more that half of the students, and the brightest students were often women.  Over the years the proportion has dropped to the same level as in electrical and civil engineering, that is 5--10% or maybe less.

We had endless debates about why women don't apply to computer science anymore, with no conclusions.  It is not because computer science is "difficult". It is actually one of the professions where even dumb people can succeed.  There are plenty of women in medicine, chemistry, mathematics -- where you really need a functioning brain to work.  I taught intro computing to chemical engineering freshmen last semester, and to my surprise the class was again half women, and again some of the best students were women.

It must be some subtle thing in the popular image of the computer professional.  Perhaps the idea that he is an antisocial nerd who hardly leaves his mom's basement --- a way of life which may appeal to many adolescent men, but not to adolescent women.


And you still think that men are more intelligent than women?