A computer science major can earn
40% more
than the college average
Yet not many women show up in these statistics.
Women make up
less than 20% of the U.S. tech jobs,
even though they constitute more than half of the U.S. workforce.
Source: smallbiztrends.com
What does this mean?
Technology-related fields are defining our future. If women are not equally represented in these fields, their perspective is not represented and translated into products, solutions or workplace environments.
Technology opens up a huge variety of roles for people with background in computer science. We need project managers, data architects and many more specialists. These roles require a varied set of skills. If women don’t enter these fields, we miss out on a diverse talent pool that could help grow our businesses and institutions.
A variety of roles which are defined today as non-tech related will in the long run have strong links with technology. If we don’t encourage girls to grow their enthusiasm for technology, they will fall behind in their careers, rather than be at the front.
“I am a parent of a girl. I got your point – it’s important to teach girls programming. What do I do next?”
Improve your daughter’s computer literacy
Our kids are excellent at playing on tablets! But does it mean they are also computer literate? Do they know how to express themselves using various computer programs? Do they know how to type? The amount of screen time our kids get does not necessarily translate into their computer literacy. Encourage your daughter to use a laptop rather than a tablet and shift the focus during her screen time from multimedia consumption into more demanding activities.
Inspire your daughter with herstories
History of programming recognizes a lot of women who pioneered in the field. Ada Lovelace was the first person to publish a programming algorithm and she is regarded as the first computer programmer. Grace Hopper was the first person to create a compiler for a programming language. You can use their stories to start this topic with your daughter. Feel free to use this list of books to continue the conversation.
Appeal to your daughter’s creativity
A lot of girls are really into creative activities like arts & crafts. Show your daughter that coding allows her to express her creativity in new exciting ways. You can start at home with Scratch—a visual programming language available through a free app on any device. It’s easy and accessible for everyone. As a parent you will easily navigate your daughter through challenges. This is one of the ways to get her started on programming, and it’s fun for both of you too.
Look for a role model
It is important for you daughter to be exposed to female role models from the field of programming. At Kids Coder Lab we recognize this dynamics and every month we host a girls-only workshop session. We invite established female professionals working in the field to share their know-how with young girls. Sign up to our newsletter for upcoming meetups.
Sign up your daughter for a programming course
The best way for your daughter to start her adventure with coding is to participate in one of our courses. If your daughter needs a motivation kick, encourage her to sign up together with a friend. At Kids Coder Lab we use gender-neutral curriculum and we go extra mile to support diversity in the classroom so that every student feel well.
