Many women drop out of their computer science careers, leading to a gender gap and less diverse workforce. What causes this “leaky pipeline” phenomenon, and what can be done to patch the leaks?

In 1985, over a third of computer science degrees were awarded to women. Just fifteen years later, that number had shrunk to a mere eighteen percent. A field that had once drawn numerous women began to lose its appeal. Despite the massive emphasis on STEM education and specific programs directed at women, there remains to this day a significant disparity, as men attain eighty percent of computer science degrees.

For a while, computer science has had an image problem of....