Women talk about using it to create, men talk about the power it gives them. Women ask technology for flexibility, men ask it for speed. Women talk about using it to share ideas, men talk about the autonomy it grants them. These differences are reinforced by the Internet, computer software and games, which are typically targeted at traditional male interests, such as action-related sports, games and computer programming. In comparison, few Internet or computer games or software programs target girls, except Barbie Fashion Design, a program that allows girls to create outfits, jewelry and hairstyles for Barbie.
Video games are children's gateways to computers.
And ultimately this has ramifications for the kinds of careers people choose. In addition, she said, girls' computer use tends to focus on verbal activities such as sending e-mail or visiting chat rooms rather than activities that help them understand technology or build visual spatial skills. The program, now in its third year, is funded by the National Science Foundation. Females tend to look right through technical objects at their functions in ways that aren't conducive to helping them think of themselves as potential designers and makers of technology. To foster girls' mechanical imagination, the Center for Children and Technology created a virtual design center where girls can identify everyday problems such as how to organize things, find the perfect pair of jeans or remember to come home on time from the library or a friend's house and design and invent solutions.