I'm part of a team working on tech programs for junior high in my country. As in many other countries, the tech industry here is characterized by very unequal gender representation, and we see the junior high programs as an opportunity to help bridge the gap. The difference is already apparent at the junior high stage - both the participation rates and retention rates are much lower for girls, and that's something we're trying to tackle. However there doesn't seem to be much knowledge on how to actually do this, and I haven't found relevant resources. Things I personally try to pay attention to when constructing the lessons / projects are choosing examples from diverse domains (e.g. not just focusing on computer games - giving examples from science, art, engineering etc.), and providing female role models in stories (e.g. not portraying hackers / computer scientists as male-only). However I'm not sure that's enough. On the other hand, I don't want to try too hard and achieve the opposite effect (patronizing etc.)
Any advice?
In case it's relevant, the organization developing the programs is non-profit, and the programs are partially / fully subsidized by the government for disadvantaged communities.
Thanks!
From the article:
>It could have to do with the fact that women in countries with higher gender inequality are simply seeking the clearest possible path to financial freedom. And typically, that path leads through STEM professions.
>The upshot of this research is neither especially feminist nor especially sad: It’s not that gender equality discourages girls from pursuing science. It’s that it allows them not to if they’re not interested.
[0] https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/02/the-more...
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I studied math and physics at uni and met many smart women, many smarter than me. And some of those went on to be programmers and literally all of them (sample size around 15), moved on from programming very soon after. And all gave the same reason: they just do not like programming all day and want to have more interaction with people as part of their job/career. Many are still in tech, but not as programmers. These women came back to give recruiting speeches at the uni where I now work, so this is their official word on the matter.
I personally would really like to have more women in tech, because frankly the sausage fest gets tiring. But at the same time, I find the whole idea of trying to force a gender to do something they seemingly do not want to do, quite bizarre. Hospitals have no problem recruiting female surgeons, nor law firms recruiting female lawyers.
Programming is the new accounting. It is a very boring job for people who lack social skills. Women do not like that because they tend to have better social skills than us men, and they want to use them. In particular they want to leverage their social skills to advance their careers, something that as a programmer, does not come into play as much as for example being in sales or being a project manager.
To encourage better interactions in the classroom, award points to students for helping others (with guardrails against collusion). Maybe do guest spots in Math classes to maybe spark more interest, kids excelling in Math might like writing code to solve their homework.
Any historical perspectives should definitely include Ada Lovelace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
I have done some charity work in Benin and Thailand before, with the goal of teaching basic and fun computer science for kids and teenager.
I do it with my own money and time.
My goal is to show up, entertain, try to inspire and get them curious, and possibly become a mentor if few of the kids show high interest.
My goal is not to seek people who are not showing up.
Just treat everyone fairly. This includes girls of course.