As the gender imbalance in IT shows no sign of disappearing, high profile lobby group Women in Technology has suggested that schools should consider running separate IT classes for boys and girls to combat the problem.
This follows a recent Computing poll that indicated that entrenched attitudes towards women in the IT department are still prevalent.
Maggie Berry, from Women in Technology, wrote in a blog post on the issue: "What were your IT classes like at school? Filled with enthusiastic boys eager to learn in comparison to the girls who were not interested, or rather, seen to be uninterested? The general stereotype is that IT classes are for geeky boys interested in computer games."
She goes on to say that one teacher she knew who was concerned about the lack of women in technology, decided to separate his classes into girl- and boy-only lessons. This saw the girls' interest increase considerably.
"[To address the problem of gender imbalance] it should be tackled at school where children begin to take an interest in different subjects which they will go on to pursue later in life, and ultimately as a profession."
And in line with the concerns addressed by Berry's blog post, one worldwide forum will run an event to connect professional women and students for virtual and in-person discussions about education and careers in engineering and technology.
The Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering and Technology is an annual worldwide event that will tour the world in March 2011, aimed at connecting women across a range of disciplines, experience levels, ages, interests, backgrounds, cultures, industries and employers.
Individuals from corporations, universities, non-profit and community organisations will participate in real-time, live group events, webcasts, internet chats and teleconferences across six regions. The UK date is Saturday, March 12, 2011.
Maggie’s comments are certainly food for thought for the industry. More women need to be encouraged at a young age to take up technology as this will sow the seeds for their interest in the subject. I know from my own experience how a good teacher can help. Sadly, the number of girls who turn their interests into careers remains pitifully low. According to e-skills UK, Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, although 45% of the overall UK workforce is female, women account for only about 17% of IT & telecoms professionals. So it’s clear that the industry and indeed government needs to stop talking about the problems and find solutions.
Separate classes could be one option but there are others. Why not add technology to the government’s new English Baccalaureate? It measures schools and pupils on those achieving A*-C passes in core subjects – English, maths, two science subjects, a modern or ancient language and history or geography. Surely if we want more girls to study technology and the growth of the UK economy is so dependent on technology, incentivising technology qualifications is one option?
But it’s no good encouraging more women to take an interest in technology if the industry itself isn’t prepared to change too. If Computing’s own poll is right and around 70% of respondents think that ’women and technology don’t mix,’ even those women that do enter technology or telecoms will find it hard going. It’s not just about getting more women into the sector, it’s about giving them a level playing field and a corporate culture that will allow them to succeed. I’m not saying that the poll reflects the views of all men (In fact, the straw poll I conducted on Linkedin on behalf of the Women in Mobile Data Association following Sky’s Gray/Keys incident suggested that there are many men who don’t think women in IT is a lost cause). I’m saying that the industry should recognise the benefits in terms of skills, culture and insight that women bring. Without that, nothing will change.
Posted by: Clare Grant, Director, Women in Mobile Data Association 10 Feb 2011
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