How Girls Hold Themselves Back from Pursuing Computer Science

How girls HOLD THEMSELVES BACK from pursuing computer science Girls are just as good as boys are at computer science, but their miscon- ceptions hold them back from pursuing computer science as a career. Girls... ..are interested in computer science and good at it. 68% 66%, GIRLS LIKE SCIENCE AS THEY SCORE EQUALLY MUCH AS BOYS DO IN ON THE AP COMPUTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SCIENCE EXAM. But their perceptions hold them back... .from pursuing computer science. BOYS ARE NATURALLY BETTER AT COMPUTER SCIENCE. THIS IS A COMPUTER SCIENTIST TEST SCORES WHEN TOLD BOYS ARE BETTER: THEY LIKE TO 25 BE ALONE COMPUTER BOYS GIRLS SCIENCE OTHERWISE BOYS AND DOESN'T HELP GIRLS SCORED PEOPLE THE SAME 90% OF GIRLS WANT TO HELP PEOPLE In college women make up... OF COLLEGE 57% UNDERGRADS OF MATH AND 52% SCIENCE MAJORS OF COMPUTER 18% % SCIENCE MAJORS And the situation is getting worse: 100%- 80%- 36% 18% PERCENT OF WOMEN MAJORING IN 60%- COMPUTER SCIENCE 40%- 20%- 1985 2012 YEAR How you can change the story main() printf("hello, world"); SHOW FEMALE INTRODUCE MAKE PEOPLE ROLE MODELS PROGRAMMING EARLY AWARE OF THE STEREOTYPES GREAT JOB! PROVIDE TEACH WITH SOCIAL ENCOURAGEMENT AND HANDS-ON LEARNING ACTIVITIES Changing the world starts with changing your perception. play- DATA FROM: National Center for Education Statistics, National Center for Women in Information Technology, Girl Scout Research Institute, and The American Association of University Women wwW.PLAY-I.COM