Programmed differently? Testing for gender differences in Python programming style and quality on GitHub

IF 5.4 1区 文学 Q1 COMMUNICATION Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication Pub Date : 2024-02-02 DOI:10.1093/jcmc/zmad049
Siân Brooke
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Abstract

The underrepresentation of women in open-source software is frequently attributed to women’s lack of innate aptitude compared to men: natural gender differences in technical ability (Trinkenreich et al., 2021). Approaching code as a form of communication, I conduct a novel empirical study of gender differences in Python programming on GitHub. Based on 1,728 open-source projects, I ask if there is a gender difference in the quality and style of Python code measured in adherence to PEP-8 guidelines. I found significant gender differences in structure and how Python files are organized. While there is gendered variation in programming style, there is no evidence of gender difference in code quality. Using a Random Forest model, I show that the gender of a programmer can be predicted from the style of their Python code. The study concludes that gender differences in Python code are a matter of style, not quality.
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编程方式不同?在 GitHub 上测试 Python 编程风格和质量的性别差异
女性在开源软件中的代表性不足,经常被归因于女性与男性相比缺乏先天资质:技术能力上的自然性别差异(Trinkenreich 等人,2021 年)。将代码作为一种交流形式,我对 GitHub 上 Python 编程的性别差异进行了一项新颖的实证研究。基于 1,728 个开源项目,我询问在 Python 代码的质量和风格方面是否存在性别差异,并按照 PEP-8 准则进行衡量。我发现在结构和 Python 文件的组织方式上存在明显的性别差异。虽然编程风格存在性别差异,但没有证据表明代码质量存在性别差异。通过使用随机森林模型,我发现程序员的性别可以从其 Python 代码的风格中预测出来。研究得出结论,Python 代码中的性别差异是风格问题,而不是质量问题。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
9.60
自引率
2.80%
发文量
26
期刊介绍: The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC) has been a longstanding contributor to the field of computer-mediated communication research. Since its inception in 1995, it has been a pioneer in web-based, peer-reviewed scholarly publications. JCMC encourages interdisciplinary research, welcoming contributions from various disciplines, such as communication, business, education, political science, sociology, psychology, media studies, and information science. The journal's commitment to open access and high-quality standards has solidified its status as a reputable source for scholars exploring the dynamics of communication in the digital age.
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