The commission makes it clear that girls are critical of the computer culture, not computer phobic, said Sherry Turkle, professor of sociology at MIT and co-chair of the commission. Instead of trying to make girls fit into the existing computer culture, the computer culture must become more inviting for girls. Sharon Schuster, president of the Educational Foundation, says Although the Foundation convened the commission, in large part, because girls are alarmingly underrepresented in computer science and technology fields, we also recognized that there are much broader issues with regard to gender and technology. Women are roughly 20 percent of IT professionals. Women receive less than 28 percent of the computer science bachelor s degrees, down from a high of 37 percent in 1984.
Computer science is the only field in which women s participation has actually decreased over time.
Women make up just 9 percent of the recipients of engineering-related bachelor s degrees. These games, in fact, would appeal to a broad range of learners boys and girls alike. Computer fluency Gender equity cannot be measured by how many girls send e-mail, use the Internet, or make PowerPoint presentations. Rather, gender equity means using technology proactively, being able to interpret the information that technology makes available, understanding design concepts, and being a lifelong learner of technology. These abilities apply across the whole range of subjects and careers, not just computer science.