Women Participation in Open Source Software Communities

Gender diversity in open source is an area of concern due to underrepresentation and unfair treatment of women. This paper presents results from research into the experiences of women who participate in open source software (OSS), their advice to newcomer women and the role that the online communities can play in creating a welcoming collaborative environment for women. The results of an online survey (58 women) and follow up interviews (11) where we asked women about their experiences and their recommendations for OSS online communities are presented in this paper.