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COMPUTING RESEARCH NEWS A Publication of the Computing Research Association September 2003 Vol. 15/No. 4 Guest Column Title IX and Women in Academics By Senator Ron Wyden in traditionally male-dominated the right thing to do; it is the smart fields such as the hard sciences, math thing to do. This fall the athletic fields of and engineering—disciplines where The numbers reveal a striking America’s elementary and secondary our nation needs competent workers inequity when it comes to gender schools, colleges and universities will now more than ever before. representation in the math, science resound with the voices of girls and We can all agree that fairness and technology fields. A National young women who choose to include implores us to create and enforce Science Foundation study found that sports as part and parcel of their equal opportunity for women in women accounted for only 23 per- educational experience. Those girls math, science and technology. That cent of physical scientists and 10 and young women will not only be is a compelling argument in itself, percent of engineers. The percent- taking physical exercise; they’ll be but it is not the only argument. A ages of women on faculties in these exercising their rights to equal report from the Hart-Rudman areas are even lower, with 14 percent Senator Ron Wyden opportunity under a law known as Commission on National Security to of science faculty members being Title IX. 2025 warned that America’s failure women and a mere 6 percent in Title IX states a simple principle. to invest in science and to reform engineering departments. Moreover, only aspiring students, but toward The entire statute reads: “No person math and science education was the the numbers are getting worse in members of university faculties as in the United States shall on the basis second biggest threat to our national some areas. The percentage of recipi- well. Women in science and math of sex, be excluded from participation security, greater than that from any ents of computer and information often find themselves pushed into in, be denied the benefits of, or be conceivable conventional war. sciences bachelor’s degrees who were traditional female roles, such as subject to discrimination under any America will not remain the women, which peaked at 37 percent teaching, while their male counter- educational program or activity power it is in the world today, nor in 1984, had decreased to just 28 parts receive almost all the research receiving Federal financial assistance.” will our people be as healthy, as percent in 1999. That is a movement fellowships that pay more completely Many Americans know the educated, or as prosperous as they in the opposite direction from athlet- for graduate school. Without a enforcement of that common-sense should be, if we do not lead the ics, where Title IX has been ade- research background, women are less rule has brought women much closer world in scientific research and quately enforced. Before Title IX, one likely to obtain tenure-track faculty to parity in high school and college engineering development. To make in 17 girls in school played sports. positions, which carry higher pay sports opportunities. But in my view, our country better, to improve our Now it is one in 2.5. This country and prestige. what Title IX has achieved on the national security and quality of life, needs that kind of progress in math, Just as America’s schools were playing field remains undone in the we need to encourage people to go science, and technology. But it will sent a clear message that they would classroom, where the promise of this into these disciplines. Women repre- not happen as long as subtle and not- lose Federal funding unless women law was originally directed. Par- sent a largely untapped resource in so-subtle discriminations persist in our were given parity in sports, it’s time ticularly, I believe that Title IX has achieving this vital goal. Encourage- educational institutions. for our institutions to understand yet to be applied stringently enough ment through Title IX is more than Studies show that women often that there will be consequences if have trouble advancing in math, sci- Title IX does not become a guiding ence and technology due to a lack of Title IX Inside CRN equal access to financial aid and a Continued on Page 8 Best Practices Memo ........................3 Chair’s Report....................................5 lack of access to child care in gradu- Report from Canada ..........................4 CRA Members List ............................7 ate school. Additionally, evidence NSF Update .......................................4 Professional Opportunities ..............11 indicates discrimination toward not PAID U.S. POSTAGE IT Responsible For Most Productivity Gains PERMIT NO. 993 NONPROFIT ORG. WASHINGTON, DC WASHINGTON, By John L. King computers everywhere except in the addition, the NIPA data measured productivity statistics.” effects at the level of whole indus- The “productivity paradox” of This news did not make sense to tries, not at the level of individual missing organizational payoffs from people in the IT fields. Computers firms where the vaunted task-level investments in information tech- could do many things far faster and performance of computers would nology has finally been put to rest. far better than people could. Their appear. The NIPA data could not be Recent research has demonstrated a application had dramatically used to account for differences in the major surge in U.S. productivity improved performance in all kinds of quality of IT implementation efforts between 1995 and 2000 due almost tasks, from payroll processing to air among the organizations measured. entirely to IT. While investment in traffic control. It did not seem possi- The successes and the failures might IT is essential to this improvement, ble that such task-level performance balance each other out, with zero the key to achieving payoffs from IT would fail to show up in the produc- productivity gain as a result. investments lies in changing the tivity statistics. Yet the analyses were A different objection was raised nature of work processes to exploit grounded in the best data available by economic historians. They what IT offers. at that time, and the story of the pointed out that flat or even declin- The productivity paradox began productivity paradox was established ing productivity was a common fea- in early 1986 when economist as fact. ture during transitions from old to Stephen Roach demonstrated that Several objections to the story new regimes for doing complicated the huge increase in organizational arose immediately. Most were aimed things. Paul David of Stanford expenditures on IT (computers, at the problems with the data used in University compared the replace- peripheral devices, software, and Roach’s analysis. As good as they ment of steam engines by electric related services) between 1975 and were, Roach’s data came from the power in U.S. factories in the late 1985 was accompanied by virtually National Income and Product 19th and early 20th centuries to the no gains in organizational productiv- Accounts (NIPA) data maintained replacement of older information ity. Within weeks, Fortune magazine’s by the U.S. Bureau of Economic management practices by IT during cover story was about “The Puny Analysis. The NIPA system was the late 20th century. Productivity Payoff” from computers, and the rest installed in the 1930s, long before remained flat for several decades as of the business trade press soon fol- the era of modern IT application. It electricity replaced steam, but then lowed. Nobel Prize winning econo- was not clear whether the NIPA Productivity Gains mist Robert Solow quipped, “We see data measured the right things. In CRA NW 1100 Seventeenth Street, Suite 507 DC 20036-4632 Washington, Continued on Page 6 COMPUTING RESEARCH NEWS September 2003 Computing Research Visionaries Needed for CRA Conference Association Board Officers Grand Research Challenges in Information Security & Assurance James Foley Chair Georgia Institute of Technology Airlie House, Warrenton, Virginia Janice Cuny November 16-19, 2003 Vice Chair University of Oregon In 2002, CRA sponsored its first have some vision and understanding of Technology. Attendance is limited Kathleen McKeown Secretary “Grand Research Challenges in of the big challenges (and accompa- to 50 people and is by invitation Columbia University Computer Science and Engineering.” nying advances) that should shape only. Individuals invited must com- Philip A. Bernstein This was the first in a series of highly the research agenda in this field over mit to attending for the entire three- Treasurer non-traditional conferences where the next few decades. These meet- day conference (beginning Sunday at Microsoft Research the goal is to define important ques- ings are not structured as traditional 6 pm, ending after lunch on Board Members tions rather than expose current conferences with scheduled presenta- Wednesday.) If you are interested in William Aspray research. Grand Challenges meetings tions, but rather as highly participa- attending, please submit a two-page Indiana University seek “out-of-the-box” thinking to tory sessions exposing important (or less) statement of two or three Randal Bryant expose some of the exciting, deep themes and ideas. As such, this is examples of a “grand research chal- Carnegie Mellon University challenges yet to be met in comput- not a conference for security special- lenge” problem in the IS/IA area. Doris Carver Louisiana State University ing research. Because of its clear ists alone: We seek to convene a The deadline for submission is importance and pressing needs, diverse group from a variety of fields September 17, 2003. Lori Clarke University of Massachusetts CRA’s second “Grand Research and at all career stages—we seek For additional details, including Carla Ellis Challenges Conference” will be insight and vision wherever it may instructions for submitting state- Duke University devoted to defining technical and reside.

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