Opportunities and constraints of women-focused online hackathons

Abstract

Hackathons are often viewed as not being inclusive to women, who have low participation in these events. Reasons for this include low self-esteem in STEM fields, toxic environments, bad sleeping habits during the event, and a competitive atmosphere. Hackathons also can be a valuable opportunity for undergraduate students to improve their skills, but a lack of gender diversity can prevent women from taking advantage of these opportunities. Recently, initiatives have been implemented to increase the number of women participating in hackathons, such as women-only events, balancing participants by gender during the selection process, and using feminist and social themes for the hackathon. Our qualitative study investigated how event design choices (Focus on Women; Event support activities such as mentoring and pre-pitch; and Event warm-up activities) can influence the participant’s experience in a women-focused hackathon. Data was collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews with participants.