Brazilian initiatives for the entry and retention of women in the computing area: a systematic mapping of literature

Abstract

Despite the growing advancement of initiatives aimed at gender equality in educational and professional circles, women still face obstacles to being accepted and recognized in areas where male activity predominates. This work aims to provide an updated overview of enabling projects that encourage the insertion and retention of women in the area of information technology (IT) in the Brazilian scenario. To this end, a systematic literature mapping (MSL) was carried out, analyzing and classifying 19 (nineteen) articles from a total of 642 (six hundred and forty-two) candidate studies. The results of this study reveal that the most common strategies to promote female insertion and retention focus on training actions, such as offering short courses, lectures and events involving the dissemination of information and qualification. It was observed that the quantitative ones focus on initiatives aimed at academic qualification at undergraduate level. It was also observed the presence of a minority directly focused on the job market. The main factors determining women's withdrawal from the IT area are: (i) influence from third parties (IT); (ii) educational aspects (AE); (iii) market aspects (MA); (iv) sociocultural limitations (LS); and (v) emotional and psychological aspects (AEP).