"Alice in WWWeb Land"
Girls and the Internet *
While a handful have made great strides, women in general are underrepresented in technology and computer related fields (Gates, 1995). Estimates of the ratio of men to women on the Internet have been reported to be anywhere from 2 to 1, to 9 to 1 (Quarterman, 1995). Technological gender inequity is a systemic problem that reaches back to a young woman's early education. Historically, math and the sciences have been a male domain, while "the teaching arts have been more acceptable fields for women" (Eggen, 1992 p.188). This situation has led to a cyclical problem; since most of the people creating computer applications and activities have been male, there has been little effort to create applications that specifically target the interests of females. While boys have games, activities, and educational applications that draw them into using computers at a young age, there has been little to entice or support girls in this arena.
By the time they enter high school, boys have been playing games and using software they found interesting, challenging, and fun. Thus, boys are already familiar with computers and prepared to take the classes that open doors to further technical knowledge. Girls, however, having had little incentive or enticement to use a computer, find themselves in a situation where they are already behind the general level of knowledge, even in an introductory class. After finishing high school, young people focus on their futures. In general, people choose career paths based on their interests, abilities, and education. Who is more likely to have the education and experience to earn an entry level position in technology: the average boy or the average girl? Who will have the opportunity to be involved in the creation of new technologies and applications? It appears that this cycle of male domination of technology is self-perpetuating and will continue through the systemic exclusion of females at a young age unless we are able to present technology to young girls in a fashion that they find genuinely interesting.
Add to this, a very relevant bit of information. Ira Magaziner, senior advisor to the Clinton Administration on Internet Policy Development, told representatives of 21 nations at a high-tech forum that "the Internet is an engine of growth for the world's economy" (New York Times, 7 Oct, 1997). This does not bode well for young women if they are uninterested or somehow excluded from the basic technology skills necessary to harness the potential of computers and the Internet.
Research has shown that boys and girls show equal levels of interest in technology until around the age of eight. Then, boys delve into the world of games, while girls find fewer applications interesting or attractive (Laurel, 1997). Thus, girls' computer use drops off just as boys' use increases. This is also the same age at which boys' and girls' overall interests take divergent paths. Boys look for the "win"; they enjoy games that are task oriented and give them the opportunity to rise up an hierarchical order or placement. Girls prefer activities based on process and communication; they enjoy the steps the character goes through , as opposed to just winning the game (Laurel, 1997 and Taylor, 1990). The Internet, with its emphisis on communication, can be the entry level tool that draws young girls into begining to view technology as something that is fun and useful. With this information in mind, plus several personal communications with women involved in designing software and Internet sites specifically for female audiences, I'd like to share a short checklist of items that makes one site more "girl friendly" than another:
The following urls are offered as examples of quality "girl friendly" web sites. My hope is that you, as teachers, will use some of these sites in your classrooms or labs to show young women that technology can indeed be interesting, non-threatening, and personally relevant.
Sites for Young Women:
Sites for Adults concerning Technology and Young Women:
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Ethical Considerations in Gender-Orientated Entertainment Technology |
Women's Connection Online (Science Drop-Out Daughters) |
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Web Women This site is for adults. It offers interesting news and information, YOU can decide how to present such issues to the girls and young women you influence. |
The American Association of University Women |