[UbuntuWomen] Why are there more females in Computer Science in UP?

[Emma Jane Hogbin]

Jacinta Richardson wrote:
> Yolynne Medina wrote:
>> I'd like to know more of your thoughts about this blog post.
>>
>> http://guro.edublogs.org/2008/03/01/why-are-there-more-females-in-computer-science-in-up/
> 
> 	"In a recent study in the UK, girls are more comfortable using computers than boys"
> 
> Because being comfortable with *using* a device has nothing at all to do with
> wanting to *program* or otherwise *modify* that device.  Women have been

This is very true for my experience with teen girls as well.

Last fall I was the guest speaker at an event to promote the trades to
teen girls (trades == electrician, welder, iron worker, computer
technologist, etc). When I asked the girls how many have an account on
MySpace or Facebook every single one of them put up their hand (some
were on only one or the other and some used both). When I asked how many
had ever thought of building an app for Facebook fewer than five-ten
percent put up their hand. They actively consume technology but have not
even *thought* about altering the system.

Here are an additional two articles that may be of interest:

http://www.rwmc.uoguelph.ca/document.php?d=13 (download the PDF)
This one reports that girls in rural Canada are using the Web as an
extension of a social space. In our current age of Web 2.0 and social
media and all of that stuff it's hardly surprising that girls are using
the Web as an extended social outlet.... but why aren't they modifying
the space? (Remembers MOOs and MUDs where you could program your own
interactive bots?)

Which leads to a second article: http://tinyurl.com/34fml6
In this article it talks about how teen girls are looking at how to
alter their on-line environments (MySpace). The girls have something to
gain from their control of the environment (some are paid to create
"glitters" and others gain popularity for their free icons). Interesting
to note: this article is in the fashion section, not the tech section of
the newspaper. Also interesting: the girls aren't creating their own
applications, they are "merely" altering the visual appearance for their
environment using existing tools.

In both cases there is a social component to their interest and
engagement in Web-based technologies. Perhaps this is consistent with
the "Me Generation" or "iGeneration" where external acknowledgment is a
requirement to contribution? And if all of that is true... how can we
use this to our advantage to encourage even more women into contributing
to the development of, instead of just the consumption of, technology?
(Even encouraging girls to think about the features they'd add to a
system would be a huge step in the right direction, IMO....would adding
glitters to a desktop theme be an appealing idea to these teen girls?)
Are there lessons the FOSS community can learn from the MySpace
experience that seems to be so appealing to girls today?


regards,
emma

-- 
Emma Jane Hogbin, B.Sc.
Founder, xtrinsic
phone: (519) 371-2665
web: www.xtrinsic.com

HICK Tech 2008: Do you have your tickets yet? www.hicktech.com