Uncovering Gender Bias in Academia by Andrea D’Angelo and Giovanni Stilo

Gender bias in education has gained considerable attention in recent years, as it carries profound implications for the academic community. However, while the problem has been tackled from a student perspective, research is still lacking from an academic point of view.

This presentation aims to bridge this research gap by shedding light on the complex dynamics of gender bias within the Software Engineering (SE) community. We first present a literature review on the subject, assessing the current trends in the literature.

We then move on to an in-depth analysis, focusing on two main topics:

1. With Network Analysis techniques, we infer prevalent patterns in the social behaviors of the SE community on both a global and Italian scale.
2. Employing a formal bias metric, we assess the extent of gender bias in career advancement within the Italian Informatics and SE communities.

Through our findings, we derive insightful conclusions regarding the current state of gender bias within the SE field, highlighting critical areas where further research and intervention are essential.