Are Computers and Technology Still a Man’s Domain?
So are there really more men experts in the computing field or does it just seem that way? That question is part of an ongoing and raging debate about women in technology. From women missing as top speakers at technology conferences to little girls shunning computers for something less boring is male dominance in the field a reality or an illusion?
When computers were big boxes in an air conditioned basement of only the largest companies perhaps this disparity wasn’t all that important. Today, however as computers and technology are ubiquitous and getting moreso every year, this gap becomes a big deal.
Smart Girls Know wrote a good article on “Girls and Computer Careers” in which some telling statistics illustrate this gap:
A new study from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) found that only 10% of girls thought majoring in computer science was a good idea versus 45% of boys. The study also found boys were more comfortable than girls doing things like learning a new software program, setting up a wireless network or even editing music or video on a computer.
These statistics sound oh so 1980’s yet here we are in 2009 scratching our heads wondering why young women are turning away from technology even as more careers are becoming technology focused. The teens want the latest cell phone but don’t like technology? Am I the only one confused by the contradiction?
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