How Do We Encourage More Women to Code?
by Dayle Clarke
Posted July 12, 2022 | 3 minute read
One of the best ways of getting more women and other minority groups into tech is to encourage them at a young age to develop a love of technology (Singh, 2021). I have devoted much of my career to teaching young women how to use technology and encouraging them to pursue careers in tech. Girls can be quite apprehensive about starting their coding journey as it is not typically not something they have ever considered before. Their opinions quickly change after learning they can code and how enjoyable and rewarding it is.
Women particularly girls, tend to undervalue their abilities.(Lerner, 2018). They think they won't be good at coding if they don't excel in Maths or video games. But once they start, students become so focused on what they are creating the perception of their ability is no longer an issue. The mix of design, logic and instant visual feedback make it a smooth learning curve.
the internal review at Hewlett-Packard a few years back that showed women within the company applied for open jobs only if they met 100 percent of the criteria listed; men, on the other hand, felt they needed to meet 60 percent of the requirements.
— Helene Lerner, The Confidence Myth: Why Women Undervalue Their Skills, and How to Get Over It
Traditionally the time when most people develop the desire to code is when they start playing video games. However, games are typically designed for and by males. They tend to be violent and hyper-sexualised. I would love to use a career in technology in the future to find a way of continuing to help girls develop a love of coding and technology (Coyle, 2017).. It's crucial for all underrepresented groups to know that there's a seat for them at the table.