Ada web portal: promoting women access to informatics

The gender gap in Computer Science education is becoming an issue. The number of women enrolling in bachelor programs on IT subjects in Italian Universities has dramatically decreased by about 30% on the last three years. Nowadays, only 15% of Computer Science students are female, while the overall percentage of Italian females enrolled at Universities is about 55%. The Ada Web Portal we present in this paper is the first action of a larger project called ADA – Promoting Women Access to Computer Science. The aim of this web portal is to facilitate communication and to share experiences between young women, teachers and women who are professionals working in ICT, both at University and elsewhere. It extends the concept of web site beyond the specific target of women students to reach and coordinate interaction among teachers, female professors, female researchers and women who play key roles in ITC Research and Development.