The information technology revolution is transforming almost every aspectof society, but girls and women are largely out of the loop. Although women surf theWeb in equal numbers to men and make a majority of online purchases, few areinvolved in the design and creation of new technology. It is mostly men whoseperspectives and priorities inform the development of computing innovations and whoreap the lion's share of the financial rewards. As only a small fraction of highschool and college computer science students are female, the field is likely toremain a "male clubhouse," absent major changes.In Unlocking the Clubhouse, socialscientist Jane Margolis and computer scientist and educator Allan Fisher examine themany influences contributing to the gender gap in computing. The book is based oninterviews with more than 100 computer science students of both sexes from CarnegieMellon University, a major center of computer science research, over a period offour years, as well as classroom observations and conversations with hundreds ofcollege and high school faculty. The interviews capture the dynamic details of thefemale computing experience, from the family computer kept in a brother's bedroom towomen's feelings of alienation in college computing classes. The authors investigatethe familial, educational, and institutional origins of the computing gender gap.They also describe educational reforms that have made a dramatic difference atCarnegie Mellon -- where the percentage of women entering the School of ComputerScience rose from 7% in 1995 to 42% in 2000 -- and at high schools around thecountry.