Kailey Honniball
A/B Hislish
Capstone Paper
May 26, 2015
The Digital Divide
When asked to imagine someone working in technology, most have the same stereotypical image: a young man wearing glasses who works hard at his high profile job. The person is almost never a woman. The problem with that is not that women do not like programming or engineering, but more that they are not introduced to technology at a young age like boys are. Women interested in computer science need to be exposed to more opportunities and education in the technology industry when they are young because they are not given the same privileges as men, evidently leading to stereotypes causing the field to be male dominated and less appealing to women, who are more likely to be discriminated because of their gender.
The stereotype of men in the field has gone so far to influence the media to create television shows that portray women as inferior to men. On CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, Penny is the first and main female protagonist. On a show revolving around the life of four male scientists, her character is written to portray her as dumb, or that her only purpose on the television show is to be attractive. Other female characters on the show who are actually scientists are seen as awkward, or written in a way that make them seem as if they do not fit into the environment. Silicon Valley, a fairly new show on HBO, premiered in 2014. While the men on the show get more screen time, there are more serious female characters, unlike The Big Bang Theory. Some may conclude that the show is attempting to beat the sexist idea that women can only be either pretty or smart, despite the male characters pursuing the women they work with. The media currently influences actions and ideas, but a healthy and accurate portrayal of women can establish their presence in the industry.
Women who do choose to pursue technology as a career end up leaving for the same reason: gender discrimination. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology, between 40 to 50% of women leave the field or quit their jobs (Adams, p. 7). Most of them claim they love their jobs, but feel they have lost their talent. Gender discrimination is a huge problem in all workplaces, where women do not get promoted, despite their work quality and efficiency. "There isn't a strong network of females in engineering. You either need to learn to be 'one of the guys' or blaze the trail yourself, which is very difficult,” said an anonymous woman who left engineering (Adams, p. 12). The lack of females make women feel isolated and out of place in their industry (St. George, p. 9). There is a lot of pressure on them to change their personalities and who they are overall. The strong discrimination and ignorance to acknowledge women’s existence in the field leads to a very sexist and uncomfortable environment.
Unlike boys, girls’ introduction to technology does not begin in their childhood. “Results show that girls will perform at the same level as the boys when they are given the right educational tools and have visible female role models,” said Nicole Else-Quest (2010), a professor at Villanova University. Girls are less likely than boys to have confidence in their science and math skills, mainly because those subjects are considered to be “masculine”. They are taught to believe this because they have few female role models to look up to, as nearly everyone we hear about, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, are male. 74% of girls express interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in Middle School, but just 0.3% of high school girls select computer science as their college major (Girls Who Code, 2012). In Middle School, young boys are given their first laptops and encouraged to play video games, while girls are taught to believe those devices and games are only for boys to tinker with. Advertisements for video games are seen across the world daily, but are almost always marketed towards men. By educating and introducing girls to computer science and engineering at a young age, it will be easier to close the digital divide.
In these past few decades, there has been a slight increase of women in the industry. Between 1990 to 2012, 3% more women have earned degrees in engineering since 1990, according to the National Science Foundation (NSF, 2012). There is a definite increase, however it is extremely small and barely helps the goal of women having equal jobs to men. If given resources to explore technology at a young age, they will be more likely to pursue it. “Computer Science has become more popular for women the last few years,” says Jean Yang, MIT student (2015). Some believe the minute number of increasing women to be completely useless, but it does raise awareness to others in the field. In a world surrounded by men, female students feel less isolated because of the women who have decided to join them. It is very encouraging and inspiring to contribute to the small number that will continue to grow.
Gender specific programs encourage girls to learn the fundamentals of coding and promote their use of technology. Girls who Code is a nonprofit organization that offers seven-week long camps for high school girls. The organization’s goal is to inspire and educate girls in technology, and all the girls who completed the program have gained more confidence in their math and science skills regarding engineering and coding. The strong role models and mentors the girls are given during the camp influence and teach them valuable skills for their future. “I fell in love with computer science—and not just because of the amazing opportunities it has afforded me,” says Julia Geist (2013), Girls Who Code alumna. Geist came from a family of little means, but knew that her life could be improved by joining this camp. When given access to the proper materials and resources, young girls have a chance to discover new interests that will benefit them. With programs that are directed towards young women, they are taught to be confident and strong without the pressure experienced in a male dominated environment.
A less time consuming and female friendly alternative to the Girls Who Code camp is an interactive website called Made With Code. The website is mainly funded by Google, and has partnered with Chelsea Clinton and Mindy Kaling (Crook, p. 4). The strong female figures who support the website draw attention to the issue that has been ignored for so long. Despite the fact neither of those women work in technology, they are still featured in the media, and are powerful role models for some girls. On the website, girls are taught to code through small exercises. All the activities on the website are simple, but gradually increase in difficulty, allowing them to learn easily without the frustration. The girly theme makes the website more relatable and fun, resulting in an increase of interest among girls. Although a face to face interaction is recommended, the Made With Code website is just another option to introduce code to girls of all ages.
Between Girls Who Code and Made With Code, a medium must be found. The first option is a seven-week camp, and the second is a website. On the Made With Code website there is an option under the resources tab for adults to host a coding party for girls. No programming experience is required to host a party, and the packet even includes an agenda for the party to follow. This specific response is needed because it gives the adult a direct connection to the child so they can offer their help and encouragement. These parties are already being held all over the world, and have been proven to increase the interest among young girls.
Overall, it is important to educate girls on computer science while they are young, otherwise, the gender gap will continue to follow the vicious cycle. Increasing diversity in the technology industry will lead to more creative ideas that benefit more people.
References
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St. George, D. (2014, April 23). High school students are all about computers but get little instruction in computer science. Retrieved May 24, 2015, from Washington Post website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/high-school-students-are-all-about-computers-but-get-little-instruction-in-computer-science/2014/04/23/13979eda-c185-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html
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