Perceptions of the future: Projections of computer-science students from an intersectional gender perspective

Abstract

This empirical-analytical work intends to diagnose the imagined future of students studying Computer Engineering and Systems Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering (UNJu) to know their expectations, uncertainties, aspirations, and hopes from a gender perspective. We applied the notion of Future Temporal Perspective (FTP), which is closely associated with the socio-cultural context of the subject and the stage in which the subject is. With the mixed methodological strategy (qualitative/quantitative), we seek an analysis in two dimensions, on the one hand, about the expectations of the entire population studied, and on the other, to evaluate whether there are differences between the responses according to gender. The first results indicate that, regardless of gender, there is a concern about employment in computer science that goes hand in hand with the medium-high motivation to finish the degree. Particularly interesting are the female voices about recognizing their cultural context (Jujuy, Andean area), the concern for technological progress, and care for the environment.