As a women who was once a young girl, I can remember teachers and adults saying that science is for boys. We need to change the mindset that only males can do certain occupations and only women can do others. I think the gender divide lies in the mind of society. Yes women are capable, but they must be given the opportunity to succeed and the self-esteem that they can. The racial divide is still a problem.
Many minorities seem to be caught in the industrial age mentioned in Raw Materials.
My minority students are more likely to have parents who work in factories and have not moved into the information age. They need their parents to see the importance of the information age to appreciate and want it. People who are in the low socio-economic group who want to move into the information age do have access at public facilities, but how much can they advance themselves if they only have 30 minutes on the computer. They cannot sit and explore like I can at home for hours if I wish. Although 30 minutes of exploration is better than none.