GIRLS WHO DON'T CODE
Editor's Note: Mikayla K. ('18) wrote this piece, with assistance from Jordan A. ('16), on women in technology.
New York City independent schools pride themselves on their commitment to diversity and inclusion, but have struggled to attain gender parity in computer science classes. At Packer, for instance, the computer fundamentals class this year is composed of seventeen boys and only two girls. Additionally, AP computer science has five female students compared to fifteen boys.
These statistics are consistent with the underrepresentation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professions in society at large. In three top technology companies, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, women make up less than thirty percent of the technology based workforce. Not so long ago, in the 1980s, women comprised 37% of computer science majors, but by 2012 that number had dropped down to 18%. More than 50% of women in the industry will leave their careers at some point due to a hostile work environment said Tracey Lien, a reporter at the LA Times. These statistics highlight that a vast amount of women have gradually left the technology industry.
The world is more dependent on technology now than ever been. Packer students recently started a club Girls Who Code to encourage female interest and participation in computer engineering. One of the founders of the club Maya Adler 16’, a veteran in Packer’s AP computer class, said she started the group “because girls in Packer’s math and science classes, that are electives, are definitely underrepresented; not because of their skills, but because of the social stigma against advanced math and science classes.”
Adler admitted to her own insecurities about joining the AP Computer class. “When I thought of joining the class I quickly dismissed it because I thought it would be a bunch of boys that were really good,” she said. However, after giving it some thought she realized that her interest in computer science outweighed the fear of intimidation. In regards to the launch of Girls Who Code at Packer Adler said, “Although I hope the club itself is a success, I think it is enough to make announcements to let younger girls know about computer science and that it isn't weird to join the class.”
Over the summer Tai Cruz ’16 participated in a Girls Who Code workshop. The program “really helped me become more passionate about computer science and wanting to empower girls to pursue technology,” she said.
Two years ago, Packer stopped making computer science a required course for grades ten through twelve, which is when the gender disparity in students began. This did not go unnoticed by the computer teacher Mr. Zacaraev who has gone out of his way to encourage gender balance in his classes. One of Mr. Zacaraev’s students in his computer fundamentals class Katie Panczner 18’ even said “Mr. Zacaraev seems to appreciate the potential difficulties of being a class of so few girls, and he has been incredibly accommodating in instances where we are treated differently based on gender by other students.” Despite this encouragement to include girls in technology here at Packer, the electives still draw very few female students. This has to do with the overarching theme of girls feeling discouraged from the field. As a result, the Packer community should set a goal to identify and combat the social stigma that make so many girls shy away from coding.
Packer’s small community is just the tip of the iceberg for the inequality of the computer engineering field that women are faced with everyday. Instead of trying to make a dent in the entire coding world our job can start right here at Packer.
According to the LA Times, computer jobs are predicted to double to 1.4 million by 2020. To secure women a seat at the table, it is necessary for the program Girls Who Code to be advertised to young girls, and for teachers to encourage students to pursue the subjects that they enjoy no matter their gender. It is time for people to stop feeling threatened by smart and ambitious women who know how to code. If nothing is done to reverse the staggering number of women involved with technology, women will get even more isolated from the flourishing industry of computers and coding.
These statistics are consistent with the underrepresentation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professions in society at large. In three top technology companies, Google, Facebook, and Twitter, women make up less than thirty percent of the technology based workforce. Not so long ago, in the 1980s, women comprised 37% of computer science majors, but by 2012 that number had dropped down to 18%. More than 50% of women in the industry will leave their careers at some point due to a hostile work environment said Tracey Lien, a reporter at the LA Times. These statistics highlight that a vast amount of women have gradually left the technology industry.
The world is more dependent on technology now than ever been. Packer students recently started a club Girls Who Code to encourage female interest and participation in computer engineering. One of the founders of the club Maya Adler 16’, a veteran in Packer’s AP computer class, said she started the group “because girls in Packer’s math and science classes, that are electives, are definitely underrepresented; not because of their skills, but because of the social stigma against advanced math and science classes.”
Adler admitted to her own insecurities about joining the AP Computer class. “When I thought of joining the class I quickly dismissed it because I thought it would be a bunch of boys that were really good,” she said. However, after giving it some thought she realized that her interest in computer science outweighed the fear of intimidation. In regards to the launch of Girls Who Code at Packer Adler said, “Although I hope the club itself is a success, I think it is enough to make announcements to let younger girls know about computer science and that it isn't weird to join the class.”
Over the summer Tai Cruz ’16 participated in a Girls Who Code workshop. The program “really helped me become more passionate about computer science and wanting to empower girls to pursue technology,” she said.
Two years ago, Packer stopped making computer science a required course for grades ten through twelve, which is when the gender disparity in students began. This did not go unnoticed by the computer teacher Mr. Zacaraev who has gone out of his way to encourage gender balance in his classes. One of Mr. Zacaraev’s students in his computer fundamentals class Katie Panczner 18’ even said “Mr. Zacaraev seems to appreciate the potential difficulties of being a class of so few girls, and he has been incredibly accommodating in instances where we are treated differently based on gender by other students.” Despite this encouragement to include girls in technology here at Packer, the electives still draw very few female students. This has to do with the overarching theme of girls feeling discouraged from the field. As a result, the Packer community should set a goal to identify and combat the social stigma that make so many girls shy away from coding.
Packer’s small community is just the tip of the iceberg for the inequality of the computer engineering field that women are faced with everyday. Instead of trying to make a dent in the entire coding world our job can start right here at Packer.
According to the LA Times, computer jobs are predicted to double to 1.4 million by 2020. To secure women a seat at the table, it is necessary for the program Girls Who Code to be advertised to young girls, and for teachers to encourage students to pursue the subjects that they enjoy no matter their gender. It is time for people to stop feeling threatened by smart and ambitious women who know how to code. If nothing is done to reverse the staggering number of women involved with technology, women will get even more isolated from the flourishing industry of computers and coding.
