The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has documented a decline in the percentage of female IT professionals over the last 10 to 15 years; for instance, women accounted for 36.6 percent of U.S. computer programmers in 1987, whereas in 2001 they accounted for just 26.6 percent. Jane Margolis, who authored "Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women In Computing," studied male and female computer science students at Carnegie Mellon University, and her findings indicate that men and women experience computers differently: Boys often feel a "gravitational pull" toward computers early on, which is fostered by hands-on encouragement, often from their fathers, while girls receive less encouragement. Another discouraging factor Margolis notes is sexism, especially in classes where there are more male than female students.
Encouraging more women to pursue IT careers is a challenge, but Allison Druin of the University of Maryland has one solution--providing courses that offer students a solid goal, such as solving real-world problems using computing skills. Meanwhile, Margolis advocates recruitment policies that give more consideration to students that show a desire to be computer scientists, have high grades, and want to contribute to the community, rather than focus on "kids that have been hacking away their entire lives."
Mary Flanigan of the
University of Oregon has
designed computer courses that are tailored to young girls in
order to boost their
confidence and give them hands-on experience that equals that of
their male counterparts.
"Using the technology for a pleasurable activity or some way of
communicating, some way
of really tying into someone's life, is much more effective with
girls," she explains.
(Click
here
to View Full Article)