Girls and technology

I am the father of three girls, and while my 7-year-old loves to play around on the computer and is a whiz at figuring things out, I have to wonder how long it will last.
I wonder because when she becomes a teenager, peer pressure and stereotyping may push her away from studying Information and Communication Technology. That certainly has been the case in Europe, where a study found boys and girls equally competitent in their usage and understanding of computers and technology, but where girls often dropped outof ICT courses around the sophomore year.
A study and white paper by European Schoolnet (EUN) published in June 2009, showed that the ICT gender gap is alive and well and asssessed why girls just aren't attracted to ICT careers. The study was funded by CISCO and authored by Agueda Gras-Velasquez, Alexa Joyce and Maïté Debry.
This was a study conducted in Europe, with most western European countries participating. What bore particualar relevance was that the continent is anticipating a labor shortage in the ICT field to the tune of 70,000 jobs. So getting young women involved has become more imperitave to the integrity of the combined economy.
What the study found was that boys and girls were equally competent in using technology but there were fewer role models for girls. What role models girls did have were not tech savvy. While mothers, as parents and female role models are encouraging to their daughters, and trends are showing a gradual increase in ICT interest among girls, change is glacial at best.
Feedback from Cisco employees and those from its HR department received feedback on this issue during business functions and discovered that there were some discrepancies about just what ICT work truly involves. And a comparative analysis of the country fiindings found:
- Polish female students have the most positive view towards ICT, ICT jobs and Internet networking careers, followed by Italy and the UK.
- Dutch female students have the most negative view and see ICT networking careers as better suited to men.
I- n general, 50 percent fewer female students are interested in studying ICT in the future compared to the percentage that report liking ICT at school.
- Except in the Netherlands, more than 50 percent of students are influenced by role models (parents, celebrities and teachers). In particular, male students look to male role models, and girls to female role models.
In general, the research found positive attitude towards ICT from female parents, especially in Poland, Italy and France – although this was much less the case in the Netherlands.
It's going to take some time, but I've always been a believer that necessity is the mother of invention and if Europe is swimming in ICT vacancies, then women who need gainful employment may take notice.
As for my daughter, I just hope she follows her heart in making a career decision, and not be swayed by peer pressure or societal influence.