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What can we do so our girls don’t miss the train of technology?
March, 2007
Little girls enjoy Math, science and technology just as much as little boys. But around the age of twelve, girls lose interest in these subjects. As a result, very few engineers and scientists are women. If this continues, many of our daughters will miss the train of the jobs of the future.
Parenting a girl in our world today means fighting against a culture that bombs us with negative and unhealthy images. Even if girls and women have more opportunities today than ever before, old habits and ideas from the past are very difficult to leave behind. The expectations we have for boys and girls are still based in stereotypes. We are still expecting girls to play quietly and dot not get dirty, while we expect boys to be boys and be wild. We judge girls by how they look and boys by what they do. We encourage boys to be independent and proactive, but these same qualities in a girl make us see her as a “tomboy”.
And all of these social efforts bear their fruit in adolescence, when there is a sudden drop in girls' IQ, science and math scores. There is also a strong drop in their self-confidence. Teenage girls are less assertive and optimistic than younger girls and their tendency toward depression increases with each birthday. What is happening here? It's simple: girls respond to pressures to adjust to social expectations.
But in spite of all the negative messages our daughters are receiving, experience shows that we, the adults they see at home and in school, are the most relevant models in our children's lives. A girl's academic achievement depends on having an adult interested in her education. So you are the key to reversing this tendency. And there are many things you can do to encourage the girl in your life to explore the math, science and technology around her. And to have a great time doing it, too!
Simple things you can do so your daughter does not miss the train of technology:
- Watch what you say: Many times, our words reflect our prejudices much better than our actions. Next time you want to flatter a girl don't tell her she is beautiful or her dress is pretty. Most of the comments adults address to girls are about their looks, which is a very efficient way to tell girls that looks is the most important aspect of their lives. Instead of reproducing this message, try telling her she asks very smart questions or that she is very good at fixing things.
- Watch what you do: Boys learn very early on to get attention by talking loud, moving around and monopolizing adults. Girls, however, learn to keep quiet. This means that in school and at home, adults are spending more time and energy on boys than on girls. Break this cycle: pay attention to girls and provide opportunities for them to be the focus of attention.
- Allow girls to make mistakes: Adults have a tendency to protect girls more than boys, depriving them of the main source of know-how human beings have: trial and error. Boys are allowed to fail and encouraged to keep trying, and this increases both their knowledge and their self-esteem. Next time your daughter tries to climb a tree, don't tell her she'll fall. Instead, cheer with all your might and think of where you put the first-aid kit.
- Encourage her to be ambitious: Do not limit your daughter's long-term or short-term ambitions. If she has to do a project for school, encourage her to pick up a technical subject she might be interested in and go with her to the library or search the Net with her to prove you care about her work. At the same time, encourage your son to look into subjects traditionally considered "feminine", like child development and interior decorating.
- Look at ideas, not presentation: Not only do we judge girls by their looks, we also often evaluate their work by its neatness. When you see the work of a girl, do not praise it by saying her handwriting is beautiful or the presentation is neat. Look for quality of content, complexity of ideas and clarity of thought. Demand from girls the same you expect from boys.
- Enrich her experiences: Provide the girl in your life with opportunities to do things that are usually reserved for boys. Next time the toilet stops flushing, ask her (and not her brother) to fix it. Her brother can do the laundry. Encourage her self-esteem by praising her effort and problem-solving strategies, not the speed with which she solved the problem, since this depends on previous knowledge many girls will lack and boys will have.
- Question stereotypes: Watch the TV your girls watch, read their books and magazines, listen to their music. Question out loud the stereotypes that pop up in those media and talk about them with your daughters. Do not try to impose your ideas on your girls, instead, listen to their opinions respectfully. Encourage them to spot stereotypes on their own and to reach their own conclusions.
- Give her technical toys: Most construction sets, chemistry sets and toy microcopes show a boy on the box, but girls enjoy them just as much. Give girls all kinds of toys, no matter what kind of things they seem to like. No one asks a baby boy if he wants his first construction set or not and it is more than likely that a girl who only has dolls will show an interest in playing house.
- Fight for them: Demand that all adults and institutions in your daughter's life follow these guidelines. This goes from the person who stays home when you go to the movies to your town's School Board, and includes all educators, doctors, friends, family members, etc. File complaints, write letters, explain motives, set an example and become an activist for the rights of girls.
Some resources on the Net:
Web page of Girls Inc., a US non-profit organization whose motto is "Inspiring All Girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold". The adult section offers a wealth of resources, data and opportunities for action. The girl section offers fun activities, career reviews, surveys, books reviews and message boards for girls.
A US Girl Scouts web page offering "techy" games, interactive feature articles (those are fun!), career info, resources and a pdf with tips for parents.
This web site by the US National Academy of Engineers is destined to encourage girls to consider a career in engineering. It offers an entertaining list of fun-facts, links, information on careers, bios of women who are engineers and lots of practical info on how to become one. This includes great information on what kid of classes girls should take in school, homework help and much more.
Girlstart is a Texan non-profit organization created to empower girls to excel in math, science, and technology. They offer afterschool programs, Saturday camps and summer camps with hands-on exploration of science, math, and technology Austin, Texas. In the "For Girls" section there are articles, books reviews, games and lots of bios.
Site of the "Girls are IT" Program by the Girl Scouts Hornets' Nest Council (GSHNC) of Charlotte, N.C. (USA). Info on careers, bios, a Tech Timeline with loads of information about the development of IT. Also, a call for volunteer trainers and mentors, with special emphasis on Spanish-speaking ones. Mostly in English.
A web page by Junta de Andalucia (Spain). Junta de Andalucia is a local Spanish government, equivalent to a state government in the US, for the region in Southern Spain called Andalucia. This page provides materials to work and play with geometry. Some are simple computer games and some can be downloaded. Only in Spanish.
The web page of the Commission on Women and Mathematics of the Spanish Royal Mathematics Society. Offers a wealth of information, official Spanish and EU statistics, news and great links to web pages in English, Spanish and French. Only in Spanish.
Ada Byron is a Spanish organization founded and run by math high-school teachers whose goal is to promote a real co-education of math in Spanish schools. The web page offers plenty of information about Spanish laws on education, curricula, teacher training, etc. This web is in Spanish, some articles are in Catalan.
There are many web pages for kids out there that offer scientific and technological content. Unfortunately, most of them are only in English. These two are available in English version and Spanish version:
A NASA site filled with games for kids. Perfect to have fun and learn along the way.
Another NASA site for kids, this one with info on space travel.
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