Closing the tech gender gap starts in childhood

The tech industry’s gender imbalance is no secret – only 17% of technology specific jobs are held by women. Projects to counter the problem, from conferences to mentorship programmes, are becoming widespread but are usually aimed at women already embarking on careers. Could we be doing more to close this gap during childhood?

There is overwhelming evidence that our early years are crucial in shaping how we see the world and our place in it. From as early as 10 or 11, children already have strong ideas about their gender roles. According to Elle Boag, a social psychologist at Birmingham City University, children as young as seven may have ideas about the different types of job men and women should do.

Factors influencing this are multiple and varied. For example, critics have claimed that gender specific toys can shape girls’ career ambitions, while parents and teachers also play a major role in influencing children’s career choices.

A study by the Institution of Engineering and Technology found parents’ outdated perceptions of jobs for men and women are discouraging girls from pursuing a future in the science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) sector. The research showed that parents were more likely to recommend careers in caring and education for girls.

“We expect boys to be good at maths and PE, even though there’s no biological predisposition there, and girls to be more creative or caring,” said Boag.

She believes it’s difficult for us to avoid doing this, even when we’re aware of it, because of how the human brain works. We create so-called schemas – patterns of repeated behaviour that allow children to explore and express developing ideas and thoughts through their play and exploration – as a way of categorising and understanding the world.

Breaking convention

Projects targeting children at primary and nursery level are still thin on the ground. The biggest nationwide scheme is the government funded Stem ambassadors, which aims to provide children with role models in science and technology. Stem ambassadors will visit schools to give talks, join in with lessons, or work with teachers and governors to help improve the way Stem is delivered in class.

“We really have to push the message that women do these jobs. Children think Stem isn’t for girls because they don’t see girls doing it,” says Helen Heggie, director of StemFirst, the Stem ambassador hub for Lancashire and Cumbria.

Heggie works with teachers to raise awareness of the lack of women in tech, however there’s no guarantee all teachers will be actively looking to address this, or even be aware of the issue. The other main problem is that these programmes, as well as other popular initiatives such as code clubs, are extracurricular. “Often teachers just can’t fit it in,” says Heggie.

Other smaller initiatives include the Wise (Women in Science and Engineering) campaign’s People Like Me programme. Based around research showing girls are more likely to create and articulate their self-identity using adjectives than boys – who tend to talk about themselves in terms of what they do, using verbs – it aims to teach Stem in a more descriptive manner.

A 2014 report published by Wise (PDF) claims this is important because Stem careers education has focused on what these professionals “do” rather than describing the qualities needed to succeed. It’s hoped this will encourage girls to match their own attributes to those needed in science and technology careers.

Social enterprise Stemettes promotes Stem to girls as young as five in a fun, creative way with “hackathons” and networking games. “We hear a lot of girls say they’re not good at maths, or they think it’s a boys’ thing,” says founder Anne Marie Imafidon. “The hacks are the most popular – they get to code something themselves, and that sense of achievement is very powerful. You don’t get that creativity playing with a doll.”

What can parents do to help?

There are still steps parents can take to encourage Stem learning at home through the toys they buy their children. Research by the IET found 31% of Stem toys are listed as “for boys”, compared with just 11% for girls. Manufacturers are actively trying to address this imbalance – newly-released toys aimed at girls include engineering game Goldieblox and FurReal toy pets which children code themselves, as well as new Lego kits geared towards girls.

Many cartoons still lean towards lazy stereotyping – think Dexter in his laboratory with his sister in the background. But Heggie has been involved in developing a new CBeebies programme, Bitz & Bob, with a girl engineer as the main character. “It’s designed to show pre-school children that girls can do science and problem-solving,” she says.

Industry experts also recommend parents and teachers educate themselves about the breadth and variety of tech jobs out there and try to understand the skills involved. “Most of today’s jobs didn’t exist 15 years ago,” says Amali de Alwis, CEO of Code First Girls. “Many of them require analytical thinking, but also creative problem solving. We often don’t realise that creativity and logic go hand in hand, and push children down one route or the other.”

She also believes that coding should be compulsory in schools the same way learning a second language is. “Technology is part of our culture now, so if girls can’t speak its language, how are they going to be future leaders?”

A lot of attention has been given to the trend of gender neutral parenting, but Boag is sceptical about how useful this is. She worries it may just confuse children, especially once they start school and realise other people haven’t been raised in the same way. “It’s better to let children be children, and allow them to play with anything they want,” she says. “Encourage their interests.”

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