It’s a puzzle. Despite years of statistics on the advantages of technical careers, despite ongoing job fairs aimed at women, despite talks and mentors and role models trying desperately to get women students excited by the opportunities in technological fields, there remains a significant gender gap when it comes to science and technology.
How significant? Despite the fact that women hold 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and comprise 48% of the overall workforce, they only hold about 20 percent of all computer science jobs and approximately 15 percent of all engineering jobs. And only 7 percent of CIOs are women.
It seems logical that women should be embracing technology careers, at least as enthusiastically as men. Technology jobs, especially those in IT, offer the kind of flexibility – both in hours and work locations – that enable women to combine careers with family responsibilities. Furthermore, technology jobs are more plentiful and offer better salaries than jobs in most other fields.
So what’s the problem? Why aren’t girls flocking to science and technology careers? Some experts say that teachers, parents, and society at large are sending subtle messages to girls, starting as early as middle school, telling them that math and science is for boys. Despite the fact that girls do just as well as boys on standard math and science tests, educators seem to push boys toward science and math, while they steer girls away.
Most experts offer the same solutions we’ve heard for years: more female role models and mentors, science and high-tech camps for girls, instilling confidence in girls at an early age, encouraging girls to compete academically with boys in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) classes.
So far, these strategies haven’t worked very well. During the 2011-12 academic year, women accounted for only 12.9 percent of the students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in computer science. That is up from 11.7 percent in the 2010-11 academic year, but in computer engineering, the percentage of female recipients of bachelor’s degrees decreased from 11.8 to 10.6 percent during the same time period.
Somehow, women need to realize that they’re are missing out on great opportunities by not going into high-tech fields, says Karen Purcell, president of PK Electrical, an award-winning electrical design, engineering, and consulting firm. The question remains, when will they reach this epiphany?