Get Girls Interested in Computer Science

A woman, Ada Byron Lovelace, has been credited with writing the first computer program. She developed it during the mid nineteenth century to calculate Bernoulli numbers. In 1979, the United States Department of Defense honored her mathematical genius and foresight by naming a software language after her. More girls than ever pursue careers in science, but fewer girls prepare to enter computer careers every year.

The number of female students entering college to major in computer science rose steadily from roughly 15 percent in 1973 to 37 percent by 1984. By 2003, female enrollment in undergraduate computer science programs declined to approximately 28 percent. During this period, undergraduate degrees awarded to females for all disciplines in science increased to 51 percent. Today, most universities in the United States and Canada report less than 10 percent of their female students pursue undergraduate degrees in computer science.

This disturbing trend has prompted researchers, universities, and women’s organizations to ask why women have abandoned computer science careers. Theories abound, but this mystery continues to defy researchers. Some possible are girls' perceptions about computers as boyish toys, subtle messages from parents and peers, and the nerd or geek factor associated with computers by many young people. Significantly, many women who received computer science degrees during the late seventies and early eighties have pointed out that they had family role models and mentors who nurtured their interest in computer science.

Encouraging girls to pursue computer science careers is vital. It will help our nation maintain its security and technological leadership. Computing associations, women's organizations, and universities have outstanding programs to get more girls interested in computers. Advocacy, outreach, and opportunity are cornerstones of the most successful projects.

National Girls Collaborative Project
The Sloane Career Cornerstone Center
National Center for Women & Information Technology
Girls Creating Games
Nerd Girls
Webgrrls International
Computer Girl
Expanding Your Horizons
The Ada Project
Women's Technology Program at MIT
Women at The School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon
ACM's Committee on Women in Computing
Girl Geeks
Techbridge: Encouraging Girls in Technology
IBM: EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering Camps
University of Illinois: Girls Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science
Girl Scouts, USA: Girls Go Tech
Perdue University: Surprising Possibilities Imagined and Realized Through Information Technology
Project IT Girl
DigiGirlz High Tech Camp
TechREACH