Girls today are steering away from math, science and computers in record numbers. In 2011, women in the U.S. earned only 18 percent of all computer science degrees (compared to 37 percent 20 years ago) and made up less than 25 percent of the workers in engineering and computer-related fields. Fewer than 10 percent (9.8) of American engineers today are women.
These statistics stand in stark contrast to the gains that women have achieved in law, medicine, and other areas of the workforce over the past 20 years.
While the lack of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is often attributed to lack of ability or desire on the part of women, a more likely explanation is that societal beliefs, or stereotypes, color our view -- insidiously sending our young girls a message that women do not have strong mathematical ability and that men make better engineers and scientists.
So how do we reverse this trend?
Sheryl Sandberg, the outspoken COO of Facebook and a role model for women in technology, recently gave some interesting -- and very simple advice on how we, as parents, can encourage our daughters to take an early interest in the STEM fields.
Sandberg's advice? Encourage our daughters to play more video games -- and even play with them -- to pique their interest in computers.
Sandberg's words came at a gathering of technorati in Palo Alto, CA, to discuss job creating. The meeting included members of President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness such as AOL founder Steve Case and venture capitalist John Doerr.
"The best thing we can do is get in there early, which means computer time for your daughters," said Sandberg. "We also need an educational system that teaches everyone basic science and basic math."
Sandberg noted that high-tech jobs pay well, so a gender gap in computer science ties into the wage gap, where on average women still make 70 cents to the dollar compared to men.
In our household, my 2 boys (and husband) are the video game addicts, whereas my 2 girls lean towards music, dance and imaginative play in their free time. By condoning this, I never thought I was sending them a gender-stereotyped message -- that video games and computer programming are for boys -- let alone contributing to the nation-wide wage gap.
I'd better go fire up the Xbox downstairs -- and figure out how to use it -- before my girls get home from school!
Samantha Parent Walravens is the author of TORN: True Stories of Kids, Career & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood, which was chosen by the New York Times as the first pick for its Motherlode Book Club.
Follow Samantha Parent Walravens on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@nosuperwoman
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This has 2 implications.
1) Getting females to be as interested in games as males is a losing proposition.
2) Getting male gameplayers to stop gaming and do some math instead is laughable.
We could start with the Huff Post itself. Danica McKellar is among other things, a mathematician. She has published a serious mathematical paper and several children's math books. She also happens to be an actress. How did a recent Huff Post article portray her?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/danica-mckellar-aka-winni_n_1088866.html
I was a little surprised that the economy didn't stumble from productivity lapses and absentees after the 11th, but of course most of the boys spent their money on the 8th on MW3. Christmas is coming.
Funny...I read articles (here) all the time about how women are better at being CEO's or this that and the other BECAUSE, they are "more social" or "better at communicating", etc.
The implication, of course, is that men are less social and worse at communicating.
But, when the opposite occurs, say..."men are better at math and science" outrage ensues...
Why is that? What is the difference?
I'm sure as technology moves on......women will fit in somewhere, because they'll be better at some aspect of some field than men.
Why is that?
I'm a male - and I myself absolutely hate math and everything to do with it. So we can't say categorize men with math and women with social if not everyone is like that. The majority? I'd still have to disagree.
While I may not be a fan of a math - I'm a huge reader. I've strayed from books, but I read tons of articles online, a day - and prefer them over video articles 80/20.
As I said I dislike math - it's kind of ironic since I'm majoring in computer information science and my future career will revolve around a lot of math. But I'm a "tech geek" and doing math while programming doesn't seem like math - it seems fun...
Thanks for reading my contradiction! :P
There are scads of ignoramuses playing games. None of whom have the slightest interest in bettering themselves, or learning anything. Playing games isn't a reasonable means to get people interested in science math or engineering - it's a means of shutting down learning time.
Depends on the person and their motivation, I'd say.
You really need to look at the indie market if you want games that can really make kids think or get them interest in computers.
The younger kids do LEGO-based robot challenges and the older kids do the large format robots. And there are a number of Girl Scout troops and other all-girl teams who compete, including one in our neck of the woods that's sponsored by NASA. They build kick-ass robots and they are usually among the top contenders in regional and national competitions.
My son started on a FIRST team four years ago, and my daughter followed in his footsteps. She loves it. It's a great way to get exposed to technology--programming, mechanical engineering, web design, animation--and the output is absolutely mind-bogglingly sophisticated.
I think games are good for the mind (some games) I was cajptivated the minute I played a few, (role playing, open ended, not linear though I have played a few of those)Fallout 3, Oblivion, and then an older game Morrowind and I was hooked by that time. I find games a positive thing to do, (certain games) Im awaiting the arrival of Skyrim. (Hey Bethesda, thumbs up) You have to pick and choose what is right for you, and dont lose sight of your social side of life, .it happens, and you wont care, ;)
One last word, I never thought of games as just for guys, I leaped into playing them, knights, warriors mages, whatever, and there are usually female characters for us ladies too ..I think the turning point for me was when I was thinking one day, 'Umbra' dont fail me now as I faced a quest and ensuing battle...and I was level 30...oh sorry, there's a real life out there, shake me now...hehe...'Im a gamer, its too late for me...save yourself! (just humor,honestly, the right games are an amazing challenge, and good for Everyone;)
Games like Morrowind and Fallout 3 and Oblivion (and others) have a strong mod community that is where people use software tools to go into the game and make changes such as add characters lands or just edit weapons. The work that can go into learning how to mod is quite extensive one becomes quite the technician. Sometimes just to install a mod correctly into the right folder and have it work in the game can be more challenging than the game itself. Of the female modders of note ARWEN comes to mind for her Fallout 3 work and EMMA of Morrowind. Nevertheless female gamers are fewer and seem to gravitate towards relational abstract aspects of gaming (the Sims) where the boys seem more result orientated (the score).
This may help explain why many women like professional jobs such as lawyers and doctors and men sciences and engineering.
Also, most boys I know are obsessed with Star Wars films which are rich with scientific language and big words.
I do think kids should gravitate to what interests them but giving the child a new stimulus and seeing if they like it never hurts.