As our world becomes increasingly digitized, the demand for engineers has continued to grow. In fact, it’s projected that in five years, there will 1.4 million tech jobs available. But there is one number that is just beginning to change: the number of girls pursuing technology and computer science. Women make up 50% of the population, so why don’t we see engineering teams comprised of 50% women? Add the fact that over 80% of girls in elementary and middle school are interested in pursuing a STEM career and the statistic that only 14% of engineers are female becomes even more confusing.
So what causes girls to turn away from computing during the critical middle to high school period?
Why Girls Turn Away From Computing
Google “Computer Scientist”
Now count the number of images that show women making, building, and hacking. Then count the number of images that show men coding away at a computer screen, albeit with bright smiles. That should tell you something right away. The takeaway is that there exists a misconception that the title “computer scientist” is intrinsically male. We can see evidence of this not only in Google Images, but in nearly all forms of media - movies, posters, talks, the Barbie “I Can Be a Computer Engineer” book that just got removed, you name it.
The negative stereotypes that surround technology and computing are prime driving forces in discouraging girls early on that engineering isn’t for them. The stereotype of a nerdy-looking guy sitting alone in front of a bright computer screen in a dark basement continues to exist. Younger girls have a difficult time identifying with this image and in many cases, it turns them off almost immediately.
Today, many companies are working in the right direction to change this stereotype. Take LabCandy for example. They’re glitzing up lab coats, goggles, and other lab gear to make it easier for girls to see themselves as scientists. Another great example is Goldieblox, the breakthrough toy company whose toys are helping inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists by getting girls building and thinking alongside Goldie.
Remember the last time you went to the toy store? Well think back to what you saw when you looked down aisles supposedly meant for girls. You probably saw pink, glittery, and sparkly toys, stuffed animals, and cooking sets - perhaps even the occasional science kit or two. As the iconic Goldieblox Superbowl commercial proclaimed, “Our Girls Deserve More.”
One of the biggest problems is the environment that many girls are brought up in - one that doesn’t emphasize the value of independent discovery and experimentation enough. We need to teach girls to be makers by handing them do-it-yourself kits and giving them space to experiment with different materials and design their own projects. This approach is also validated by Intel’s new report, “MakeHers: Engaging Girls and Women in Technology through Making, Creating, and Inventing.”
How Do We Fix This? Where Do We Start?
The Three-Pronged Approach: Home, School, and Work
The push to get more girls interested in tech and more women pursuing engineering careers needs to be a three-pronged one that incorporates home, school, and work.
A child’s earliest education begins in the home, in the environment she is raised in, and in the activities she engages in there. Simple things like building baking soda volcanoes together or asking questions about how objects around the house work are easy ways to arouse a child’s interest early on.
Incorporating technology education into schools is another critical element of encouraging more girls to pursue the technical fields. Most middle schools do not yet recognize the need, or have the funding for, computer science education. Even if technology classes cannot be started, science teachers should include coding in their curriculums. Working through the Code.org or codeacademy units are a fantastic way to teach students programming concepts in a way that is engaging, fun, and useful.
We also need to ensure that women have a strong community to whom they can turn to during work hours and that the environment does not promote discrimination or intimidation. Companies and organizations need to place a stronger focus on increasing diversity and fostering inclusion. The good news is that many of today’s tech behemoths are releasing diversity statistics, supporting organizations working to get more girls interested in tech, and offering benefits and perks appealing to women.
Female Role Models
Arguably one of the most important components of helping more girls see themselves as engineers and technologists is providing them with female role models whom they can look up to and learn from. Not all girls have parents whose parents are engineers and it becomes increasingly important for them to have mentors and role models in their field of interest as they age. It builds that can-do spirit inside of them and empowers them to follow in their role model’s footsteps.
There are several ways parents and teachers can provide girls with strong female role models. Introducing them to the stories and work of women such as Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer, and Jocelyn Goldfein are a great way to start. Schools can also bring in women working in local tech companies as guest speakers to assemblies, classrooms, or after-school clubs. This builds confidence and introduces them to the community of intelligent, motivated, and technical women that can also serve as a resource for them as they move into college and beyond. Examples of resources for finding female role models in your community include FabFems and Million Women Mentors.
Emphasizing Applicability, Connectivity, and Creativity
When teaching, it’s essential to show girls not only what technology is, but how it can be used. Girls have a natural tendency to want to help people, but they often don’t recognize that technology is such a powerful agent of social change. We need to show them how technology can be used to drive medical developments and positively affect global health, ward off cybersecurity attacks, and open new horizons for scientific research. They need to see how it can be applied and understand its impact. One way of doing this is by helping them understand how technology connects people and brings them together, making it possible for what one person does to positively impact thousands.
Many young girls perceive computer science as a dry, uncreative field so it’s important for us to emphasize its creative element. We need to encourage them to engineer solutions to everyday problems, problem-solve by thinking of creative goals and finding a path to accomplish them, and design innovations with social value. We need to teach them to powerful, innovative, and disruptive in their ideas.
Start Early, Inspire More: Middle School is Critical
In my own work, I’ve found that middle school is the time when a critical chunk of learning and development occurs and when girls are most prone to peer pressure and the influence of negative stereotypes. And so it is during this time when we need to ramp up our efforts to deter girls from being influenced by these stereotypes, increase their confidence about stepping into the technical fields, and pique their interest in STEM.
Bridging the tech gender gap is no simple or easy feat. It will require years of dedication, progress, and the combined efforts of individuals (both men and women), organizations, companies, and educators across the world. We have miles to go before we sleep, but we’re getting there. There’s no doubt about that.
Note from Global Tech Women: Pooja Chandrashekar, Founder and CEO of ProjectCSGIRLS is also a member of Global Tech Leaders. To learn more about Pooja and other Global Tech Leaders or how you can join us, please vsit