She likes computers. One day, she might even work for a large high-tech company like Nortel. At 14, when most of her friends are starting to avoid computers and technology, Kendra has only begun to unravel her computer cables. Without even knowing it, she is also helping to combat the stereotype that young girls and women don't belong in the high-tech industry. The girls see it as a male dominated industry, so they aren't inclined to pursue a future in an industry that they consider masculine.
Boys choose information technology and girls choose professions like health care.
But some of the boys at school think girls who use computers are antisocial, so some girls stop using the computers as much. But Kendra isn't paying attention to what the kids at school are saying. She says she couldn't imagine a day without spending time on a computer. These types of attitudes mark a clear division between the limits and the expectations of the genders related to technology. In fact, as early as age seven, girls start dissociating themselves from technology, computers and science-related courses in school, says Monique Frize, a biomedical engineer and Carleton University engineering professor.