In this field, as in other STEM careers, a significant gender gap is evident, one that has developed as mathematics has become a prestigious and career-oriented field of study. While in the 1985-86 academic year the number of women studying mathematics at public universities in Spain exceeded that of men (4,414 versus 4,295), this trend reversed from the 2005-06 academic year onward, reaching 5,020 women compared to 8,707 men in 2022-23, according to data from the Spanish government cited by the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society. Grima confirms this trend, which she describes as “a little demoralizing.”
“If there aren’t more women in computer science, and on top of that, the number of women in mathematics is declining, these algorithms they have to supervise are going to be very biased.” It’s not a matter of men performing worse, she argues, “it’s that they have a different sensitivity.” She illustrates this with her own experience, explaining how, since becoming a mother and having to push a stroller, she became aware of the problems with building access ramps.
“Everyone has a different environment and needs, and it’s crucial that all perspectives are considered in the design of algorithms.” Hence her concern about current developments: “The fear that these algorithms, which will control or decide many public matters, will be biased if the groups of people working on them aren’t diverse. And they aren’t.”
This story originally appeared on Computerworld
