She pointed out that although engineering has many uses, it is often billed only in ways that appeal to men. For example, Milgram said her organization received a package of materials that highlighted 16 technical careers. Only two women were featured - and each was in data entry. This, combined with peer pressure, often keeps women from entering high-level courses. But another issue is retaining students who do enter these classes.
Experts say women who drop out often do so because the environment is unfriendly.
In some of the old textbooks you feel that there's no one in the whole book that looks like you. For many reasons, educators say it's important to interest students in science early. Part of the problem, they say, is that a child's first exposure to computers is often through computer games - traditionally marketed toward boys. Another issue is that women are often more interested in using science to solve a social problem, as opposed to science for science's sake. They want to see how it impacts individuals and society.