Gender Dynamics in Software Engineering: Insights from Research on Concurrency Bug Reproduction

Abstract

Reproducing concurrency bugs is a complex task due to their unpredictable behavior. Researchers, regardless of gender, are contributing to automating this complex task to aid software developers. While some studies have investigated gender roles in the broader software industry, limited research exists on gender representation specifically among researchers working in concurrent bug reproduction. To address this gap, in this paper, we present a literature review to assess the gender ratio in this field. We also explore potential variations in technique selection and bug-type focus across genders. Our findings indicate that female researchers are underrepresented compared to their male counterparts in this area, with a current male-to-female author ratio of 29:6. Through this study, we emphasize the importance of fostering gender equity in software engineering research, ensuring a diversity of perspectives in the development of automated bug reproduction tools.