Why We Need Engineering Games for Young Girls

With our toys, we want to inspire the future generation of female engineers. With this app, we’re adding software engineers to our roster!

So why is all this so evolutionary? Well, let us tell you.

Why are computer science and tech skills so important?

In 1970, women made up 7% of the STEM workforce. 20 years later, in 1990, women made up 23% of the STEM workforce.

Today, women make up 26% of the STEM workforce – because the previous growth we saw has leveled off. But that 26%? They make 33% more than their STEM-less counterparts.

Via Fatwallet

This isn’t because there’s a lack of positions in the field. In fact, in February 2016, there were half a million unfilled science, tech, engineering, and math jobs. And the White House predicts that by 2018, there could be as many as 2.4 million STEM jobs available.

[Read more: How to Make a Happy Engineer]

Companies benefit from hiring women too. Studies have shown that code written by women can be more technically sound than code written by men, and companies that have more diverse teams reap financial rewards: Higher return on investment and more capital from investors.

Long story short: Everyone benefits from having women in tech. Even you!

We’re starting young: Kids can start building these skills as young as age 4!

At GoldieBlox, we believe loving STEM starts early. We’re committed to stripping away the stereotypes, smashing the toy store’s separate “blue” and “pink aisles,” and giving girls the tools to build their futures, one set of blox at a time.

“With the coding app, we’re removing the intimidation factor and making STEM-related subjects more accessible for boys and girls alike,” said our CEO Debbie Sterling.

By starting young, we hope to foster a sense of belonging for girls – because even though 74% of middle school girls express interest in STEM, only 0.4% of those girls choose it as a college major.

Let’s make that screentime count

In a 2014 study by adjust, research indicated that elementary-level math apps “are targeted by the developers at boys three times more than at girls.”

[Related: Hey Parents: We Can Help Close the Gender Gap]

…only 136 of the math Kids apps are targeted towards girls (by mentioning ‘girl’ or ‘daughter’ in the title or description), whereas 466 math apps for Kids targeted boys (mentioning ‘boy’ or ‘son’). This is 3.42 times as often! The same discrepancy is also shown in counting apps (only 276 mention girls, when 724 mention boys – 2.6 times as many). It is much larger than the general bias that the developers have towards boys: the Educational Kids apps target girls 1,589 times explicitly and target boys 3,926 times (2.47 times as often).

In addition, research indicates that girls enjoy narrative-based play and connect characters to concepts. That’s why the Rocket Cupcake Co. follows Goldie and Ruby through a story and presents problem solving scenarios! As girls help Goldie and Ruby deliver their cupcakes, they build the fundamental skills required to tackle computer science classes later in life.

The Rocket Cupcake Co. app was designed by a legend in the gaming community. Jenna Chalmers, who previously worked on The Sims franchise, is excited to offer kids a mobile experience with dynamic, educational content and off-the-charts replay value!

This new app is the secret ingredient to getting girls coding. Check it out here.

This article by Jayme Brown originally appears on GoldieBlox.