Mary Harrsch (mharrsch@oregon.uoregon.edu)
Mon, 29 Mar 1999 16:08:57 -0800
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 16:08:57 -0800 From: Mary Harrsch <mharrsch@oregon.uoregon.edu> Subject: Re: IFETS-DISCUSS Digest - 28 Mar 1999 to 29 Mar 1999
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Marc Pembroke wrote:
"The two boys (ages 5 and 3) spend more time on computer games than does the
one girl (age 9) who has her own email address. She has a limit of 20
minutes of email a day. "
I, like many women in technology careers, am concerned about the lack of
interest in many computer activities or trepidation about technology
exhibited by girls in our society. I am also worried about the growing
gender bias in technology usage and software applications.
An article I read in "An article I read in "Entertainment@Home" magazine a couple of years ago
about research into the gender bias of technology concluded that not only is
software designed for the personality traits of many young males,
particularly with an emphasis on competitiveness which many girls find
threatening, but parents frequently buy software for boys but not for girls.
(not saying that this is the case in your household, Marc) This gender
inequity unfortunately carries over into the educational environment as
well.
Local middle school educators here found boys dominating the computer labs
and filling up the computer related classes. (Since elective classes were
first come-first served, boys used aggressive behaviors to ensure their
place in the classes.) Technology literacy was rapidly becoming a major
problem with girls. One middle school decided to take a proactive approach
to improve the technology environment for girls. They initiated a
gender-balancing program whereby 50% of the seats in technology classes were
reserved for girls. If they were vacant at the end of the registration
process they were opened up to boys but only after being offered to girls.
They established girl-only days in the primary computer lab (boys could
still use the secondary lab) and offered the girls training or special
activities on selected technology-related topics.
They also addressed reasons kids avoided the computer lab (as indicated by
a school-wide survey): The lab atmosphere was too noisy, kids felt
intimidated by people who knew a lot more than they did, their friends
weren't there and their friends would make fun of them.
They appointed more girls to be lab monitors. They restricted the use of
computers for playing games. They enforced the use of headsets and arranged
the workstations in circles to provide the opportunity to establish eye
contact with other users. Advisors were also asked to help raise awareness
of the importance of computer skills for all students.
Their results were impressive. Before the gender equity plan was
implemented, the average ratio of boys to girls using the Computer Lab
during free time was 18:1. After the plan was implemented, the ratio of
boys to girls during mixed days increased to about 15:6. On days where only
girls were allowed in the main computer lab while boys continued to use the
secondary lab, the number of girls using technology actually exceeded the
number of boys in three of the time periods and was almost equal during the
busiest time period (14:13).
During the winter term enrollments for computer projects (elective classes)
25 girls shared the classes with 30 boys. Only 2 girl seats were filled by
boys.
The Technology Committee attributed much of the success to the efforts to
"raise the profile of the problem, especially through advisors discussing
the issue...As a result, many kids have had cause to examine their attitudes
and prejudices and the choices they have been making."
Mary Harrsch
Network and Information Systems Manager
College of Education
102-K Education
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
(541) 346-3554
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~mharrsch/index.htm
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