Promoting Gender Equality in Competitive Programming: Strategies and Impacts of Affirmative Actions in Programming Marathons in Brazil

Abstract

In the context of Computing, competitive programming is a relevant area that aims to have students, usually in teams, solve programming challenges, developing skills and competencies in the field. However, female participation remains significantly low and notably distant compared to male participation, even with proven intellectual equity between genders. This research aims to present strategies used to improve female participation in Programming Marathons in Brasil. The developed research is documentary, applied, and exploratory, with actions that generate results for female participation, with affirmative and inclusion actions, an important step towards gender equity in competitive programming.