Though kids are more likely to get their hands on technology at a younger age than ever before, it doesn't look like increased access is helping gender disparities in the tech world.
Nearly half of boys (47 percent) have considered a tech career, compared to 23 percent of girls, according to a new survey done by Illinois-based nonprofit trade association CompTIA. Among middle school girls, 27 percent have considered a career in technology, but by high school this figure drops to 18 percent.
"It’s important to get in early with these kids," said Carolyn April, senior director of industry research at CompTIA. "Starting to talk to girls about a career in tech when they’re in high school is too late, in many cases."
This new study from CompTIA, called Make Tech Her Story, sought to understand why the gender gap persists in technology, especially as the need for IT talent grows everyday: US employers are projected to create nearly 600,000 new core IT jobs by 2024.
They surveyed 400 girls and boys, ages 10 to 17, and conducted four focus groups with girls in the Chicago area to better understand adolescent attitudes toward tech. They found that though more kids get their hands on tech--95 percent of the students CompTIA surveyed use computers at home, school or both--girls are still using tech later than boys, without as much encouragement and with less information about pathways to tech careers.
Starting to talk to girls about a career in tech when they’re in high school is too late
"There’s been a perception that girls don’t get into technology because they don’t like it," said April. "It’s about lack of information. The girls are not being given the same information around the potential…for [tech] to be a career path for them."
Boys are more likely to than girls to get their hands on tech at a very young age: 11 percent of boys started playing with mobile devices ages 5 years or younger, compared to 5 percent of girls.
Once both boys and girls start interacting with tech, girls are less likely to get support from parents in navigating technology: 23 percent of girls are self-taught on smartphones (compared to 15 percent of boys), and 29 percent are self-taught on tablets (compared to 18 percent of boys).
Then, when it comes to choosing a career, girls are significantly less likely to express interest in IT-specific job titles: about a quarter of boys are interested in programmer, computer specialist and software developer jobs, while less than 8 percent of girls were interested in the same jobs. Of girls who have not considered an IT career, 69 percent attribute this to not knowing what opportunities are available to them.
Exposure may play a role. CompTIA found that only 37 percent of girls today know a relative or friend with an IT job. However, among the 23 percent of girls who have considered an IT career, 60 percent know someone with an IT job. This indicates that the more role models a girl has in tech, the more likely she is to consider that career.
There's also a misconception among girls of what an IT career entails. In focus groups, they found that girls tend to think of IT jobs as isolated and sedentary (sitting in front of a computer screen alone all day), and only knew of either very general technology jobs (“working with computers" or “fixing gadgets”) to brand-specific computer jobs (“Apple Store salesperson” or “Best Buy Geek Squad.”) Girls were shown seven photos of diverse women and asked which ones work in tech (pictured left--they all do). No girl responded that all the women pictured could work in tech, and were surprised at the range of tech careers these women represented.
However, more than half of girls say they want jobs where they can earn a lot of money and help other people, and 53 percent said more information on tech jobs would encourage them to consider IT. Part of the challenge moving forward, said April, will be to help girls understand the breadth of careers available in tech today.
Technology touches any potential career out there these days
"Technology is not a singular industry," she said. "Technology touches any potential career out there these days."
Finally, the study found that tech education is lacking. Though 71 percent of students said they'd taken a tech class, in focus groups girls said these classes often covered skills such as iMovie, photo editing, or filling out online job applications. This doesn't help students, especially girls, feel as prepared for tech jobs: Of students whom have taken these courses, only 45 percent of girls feel qualified for IT careers later on, compared to 65 percent of boys.
CompTIA is launching a microsite that features the study, videos from the focus groups, resources for tech careers and a tool where girls can create a personalized Rosie The Riveter avatar to show they hear the call to action. April pointed to CompTIA'sAdvancing Women in Technology (AWIT) and their program Dream IT, in which professional women talk to girls about tech careers, as a way they're hoping to address some of their findings.
