Feed the Tree: Representation of Australia-based Academic Women at HCI Conferences

Conference attendance is an important part of any career in academic computing, facilitating both the citations that are key for academic advancement, and the networking opportunities that result in job and collaboration opportunities. For some authors, though, the barriers to participation in academic conferences are significant: beyond having a paper accepted, logistical considerations around care responsibilities and financial considerations may limit participation. One axis along which these barriers become particularly obvious is gender: barriers to conference participation, particularly in distant locations, are higher for women, resulting in negative career impacts. Previous research established that women make up 41% of the authors for OzCHI in the five years from 2014-19, but how does this compare to other major conferences in HCI, such as CHI and DIS? We use a scientometric analysis to examine this question in this paper, finding that Australia-based women are under-represented in these conferences. This is likely to result in negative effects on the careers of female HCI academics in Australia, whether they remain here or attempt to find work abroad.