In the extant literature, there has been discussion on the drivers and motivations of minorities to enter the software industry. For example, universities have invested in more diverse imagery for years to attract a more diverse pool of students. However, in our research, we consider whether we understand why students choose their current major and how they did in the beginning decided to apply to study software engineering. We were also interested in learning if there could be some signs that would help us in marketing to get more women into tech. We approached the topic via an online survey (N = 78) sent to the university students of software engineering in Finland. Our results show that, on average, women apply later to software engineering studies than men, with statistically significant differences between genders. Additionally, we found that marketing actions have different impacts based on gender: personal guidance in live events or platforms is most influential for women, whereas teachers and social media have a more significant impact on men. The results also indicate two main paths into the field: the traditional linear educational pathway and the adult career change pathway, each significantly varying by gender

翻译：现有文献中已探讨过少数群体进入软件行业的动因与动机。例如，多年来大学投入更多元化的形象宣传以吸引更多样化的学生群体。然而，在本研究中，我们试图探究是否真正理解学生选择当前专业的原因，以及他们最初如何决定申请学习软件工程。我们还关注是否存在某些信号能帮助我们在营销中吸引更多女性进入科技领域。我们通过一项针对芬兰大学软件工程专业学生的在线调查（N=78）展开研究。结果表明，女性平均比男性更晚申请软件工程专业，且性别间存在统计学显著差异。此外，我们发现营销活动对性别的影响不同：现场活动或平台中的个性化指导对女性影响最大，而教师和社交媒体对男性影响更显著。结果还揭示了进入该领域的两条主要路径：传统的线性教育路径和成人职业转型路径，每条路径均存在显著的性别差异。