Women and Computer Science

I have noticed that computer science is mostly looked down upon in the minds of college students. In general, computer science is held in high regard as being a "difficult degree", but at the same time there is the regard of "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya. Nerd!" I think it is computer science's stereotype that keeps women away from the field. Men, in general, brand computer scientists as nerds. So, why would a woman label herself as such, and run the risk of being judged negatively by men? I would venture that if the trademark "nerd" was removed from the minds of both men and women, when referring to computer scientists, and replaced with a term that is smiled upon, then more women would enter the field. It is not that women are incapable of perusing computer science, because there are a lot of really intelligent women that would do just fine in the degree, but there is a mold that needs to be broken. Women who are willing to face the clichés of computer science need to break the mold before women, in general, accept computer science as a viable field of study.