Nebraska Commission on the Status of Women and
AAUW - Nebraska
News Release (from 2003)
SURVEY SHOWS GENDER GAP IN
NEBRASKA HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER COURSES
High school boys outnumber girls by more than 3 to 1 when it comes to taking technical computer science courses, according to a recent survey of 170 Nebraska public high schools.
The survey conducted by the American Association of University Women of Nebraska and the Nebraska Commission on the Status of Women documents a substantial gender gap in high school computer language, computer science and computer aided drafting courses.
"The gender gap in computer technology education in Nebraska schools represents a disparity for girls that is totally unacceptable under the principles of educational equity," stated Dr. Patricia Funk, president of the American Association of University Women of Nebraska and author of the report. "It is critically important that Nebraska educators, policy makers, parents and community leaders recognize the technology gender gap as a serious problem and expand current efforts to close that gap."
Carlene Bourn, NCSW Executive Director, said: "Computer literacy is the 'new literacy' and without it, a disproportionate number of girls will be shortchanging their future opportunities. The Nebraska Commission on the Status of Women is concerned about how few Nebraska girls are acquiring the technology skills that are needed for the 21st Century workforce."
The survey shows that high school girls are as likely as boys to take introductory and application computer courses. However, girls are much less likely than boys to take the more technical courses needed for careers in computer science, engineering, and in many other technology-dominated fields.
The technology gender gap is demonstrated in the following table that shows the prevalence of girls among students enrolled in different types of computer courses for the surveyed schools in the fall of 2002:
Course Type Girls Boys % Boys % Girls
Introduction to Computers 1,892 1,984 51% 49%
Applications I 4,451 4,344 49% 51%
Applications II 1,362 1,319 49% 51%
Advanced Business Applications 967 925 49% 51%
Computer Language I 168 581 78% 22%
Computer Language II 14 219 94% 6%
Web Design & Development, HTML 183 424 70% 30%
Computer Science & Technology 280 891 76% 24%
CAD, Drafting & Engineering 444 2,826 86% 14%
Total Enrollments 9,761 13,513 58% 42%
The survey was supported by a grant from the AAUW Educational Foundation and is an initiative of the Nebraska Girls and Technology Project, a collaborative effort of AAUW Nebraska, NCSW and the Girl Scouts Great Plains Council. The purpose of the project is to increase public awareness about the technology gender gap in Nebraska and to promote efforts to close that gap.
The Nebraska Girls and Technology Status Report may be downloaded in pfd format.
