July/August 2010
‘I Won’t Find a Boyfriend if I’m in IT!’
By Deanna Hartley 03-11-2010
This phrase may have caught you a bit off guard, but it accurately reflects the sentiments of numerous young girls in the United States and likely around the world.
So what's the root cause that leads to such a mentality? Well, it appears to break down to the fact that many girls or young women are afraid of being viewed as "geeks," and would rather risk giving up on a subject or career path they love and have an aptitude for than risk being stereotyped by society should they choose to follow their passion, according to a recent MSNBC article.
Numbers from the National Center for Women & Information Technology show strikingly low percentages of girls are taking advanced placement tests in computer science in high school as well as earning computer science degrees, according to the article.
Even a recent New York Times article cited analysis showing that the percentage of women, African-Americans and Hispanics who worked at Silicon Valley's top 10 companies had dropped between 1999 and 2005.
The MSNBC article also talked about the importance of mentorship in helping such individuals stay on track and successfully navigate the peaks and troughs of their careers.
As a diversity leader, what other methods or techniques would you consider implementing to help individuals, such as women and minorities, overcome unsubstantiated or irrational fears that impede their climb up the corporate ladder?
