Historically, people involved in science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) fields have typically been male. As of today, only 27 percent of all computer science jobs are held by women.
AP Computer Science teacher Lisa Kossiver sees proof of that statistic everyday in her class. When asked about the number of girls compared to boys taking APCS, she said, “Unfortunately, only seven out of thirty five are girls. It’s a very small percentage, only 20 percent… I’d rather it be 50-50.”
Senior Vivian Shen is a former APCS student who now works as an assistant in the class. She noticed the same phenomenon in her coding summer program the University of Pennsylvania.
So why is it that the young women of today are failing to break through that barrier?
“I do think that even though more and more women have equal jobs and equal access to everything, I think girls still aren’t necessarily wanting to do the math and science fields. They don’t realize that computer science is so lucrative and so interesting and the girls in my class are having such a good time,” says Kossiver.
For Shen, taking the APCS class last year was one of the main reasons she became interested in programming. “I had been interested in science, so I was pursuing a biology career and everything, but then I took the AP Comp Sci class and I realized that I really enjoyed computer science,” she says. “I would learn about [computer science] in my free time, I would see the cool things you could do, I would fiddle with different programs and I thought it was really fun. So that’s what kind of what made me turn towards programming instead,” Shen explains.
In addition to classes at school, initiatives have been taken outside of the school setting in order to expose girls to STEM fields.
Girls Who Code is a program that helps girls get a foothold in STEM by teaching them coding basics and bringing in mentors from the workforce as teachers. These women set examples of what young girls can accomplish and provide help on how to go about building a career in STEM.
Sophomore Meghana Gadiraju, has been a member of Girls Who Code since freshman year. “The thing that was interesting about computer science is I had a really different view on it before I started Girls Who Code, it was more [because] my parents who were like ‘you should do this at first,’ and then the first day that I went there it was so interesting. It’s definitely changed my view on computer science because I feel like the stereotype is just a white male typing in a cubicle all day. I feel like that’s just really boring. It’s taught me to keep my eyes open to not just computer science but other fields as well.”
Although the exclusive nature of a girls-only club may seem possibly unfair to the other gender, Kossiver argues that it’s not.
“We have to find some way to get girls more interested and do something more fun to get them interested. It’s really not okay that only 20 percent of the population is girls. I think the girls in my class and even the girls last year would say, just like the boys, ‘I thought it was hard but I can do it’. I don’t know why the initiative is towards all boys,” she says.
Gadiraju has a similar opinion, saying, “I don’t think its unfair. It gives girls more of an initiative, it gives them opportunities which they wouldn’t have thought of doing earlier.”
Other, more widespread initiatives have also been taken to encourage women in the STEM fields. “STEMinist” is a website that features stories and promotes perspectives of women in STEM fields on a social media platform. It was started in 2010 by a software engineer in Portland. The site shows interviews, profiles and articles that showcase successful women in STEM in the hopes young girls desires to pursue a career in science and math. They also give the ability to submit a profile about a woman they you know who is woman succeeding in the STEM fields. The site also features a job board for those looking into STEM careers.
Although the large public efforts have made a difference, there has not been many outpourings of STEM support from big celebrities.
Shen adds, “ I feel like the role models that kids idolize, that teenagers idolize, the celebrities, they aren’t pushing for it so much. You don’t see singers telling you to go out and code.”
Progress has been made in bridging the gender gap between women in men in the STEM workplace. Programs like Girls Who Code have been able to break ground by providing opportunities to young girls to get the information and support they need to earn a place in the STEM fields.
