Gender Equity Women and Technology

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Gender EquityWomen and Technology

• By Sherran Denkler

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About Me

• Im a senior at VWC
• My major is Liberal Arts
• Im an employee of Catholic Charities of Eastern
  Virginia, Inc.
• I was born in Texas, I but grew up in California.

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The AAUW Stated

• Only 17 of high school students who took the
  Advanced Placement Computer Science test in 1997
  were females
• This was the lowest percentage of all tests given
• AP Calculus was 47, Chemistry was 42, Biology
  was 56 and Physics was over 20

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Research Studies on Women and Technology Have
Found

• Female students are not as interested in
  technology as male students
• Female students are more apt to enroll in
  clerical and data-entry classes, while male
  students enroll in advanced computer science and
  graphics courses
• Female students use computers less often
  outside school than male students

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Whats Being Done?

• GirlTECH initiated a teacher training program to
  develop ways to get girls interested in computers
• Gender bias in computer magazines is being
  combated by the web by providing role models for
  girls
• Changes are being made to move the focus from the
  hardware and the mechanics of information to
  incorporate music, history and the sciences to
  spark the interest of girls

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Girls Are From Venus High Tech Is from Mars

• Boys are twice as likely as girls to say they
  want to be the CEO of a high-tech company
• Boys are five times as likely to choose computer
  science as a college major
• Girls are more inclined than boys to view
  themselves as leaders

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Other Tech Career Negatives

• Gender imbalance is decades old
• In US it is estimated 50,000 jobs go unfilled due
  to lack of highly skilled employees
• Though women are half the work force, few go into
  IT careers

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Conclusion

• Females already in IT industry must become
  mentors for other females
• High school girls must be exposed to technology
  and females in high-ranking positions in IT field
• Females need to be brought into the industry
  through sales, communications and networking

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Bibliography

• http//math.rice.edu/lanius/pres/cwac99.html
• http//www.darwinmag.com/read/040101/buzz_
  teen.html
• http//www.computerworld.com/careertopics/careers/
  recruiting/story