Neutral Teaching and Encouraging the Sciences

Nagel, Dave. "Women Lose Ground in IT, Computer Science." The Journal. November 2007.

Summary
This article comments on a recent study released by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) which suggests women make up the drastic minority of participatns in science and technology related studies and that number only continues to shrink farther up the academic and corporate ladders. In 2006, only 1% of female students who took the SAT test indicated an interest in pursuing a computer or information sciences major. The study attributes the lack of female desire to enter the sciences to perpetuated misconceptions about the field. The article provides shocking statistics about how few female CEOs, VPs, managers and executives there are in the business field, particularly in corporations related to technology and/or science. The NCWIT study suggest women need to feel that their skills are validated and suggests that rewards for female performance in the IT and science sectors could make women in the field more visible, thus inspiring others.

Reaction
As a member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) while I completed my bachelor's degree at the University of Washington, I am all for encouraging women to join the sciences. But, the inherent feminist in me balks at the article's suggestion that companies should provide more awards to females. If it's for a job well-done, then great, but don't go awarding us just for being chicks. I recently read an interview NBC conducted with the new female president of Harvard University. Her election followed a highly publicized dismissal of a tenured male professor who had made lewd comments about females in publications, public addresses and in the classroom. Many argue that the current female president was hired to neutralize the genders at the university. While I'm all for women leading up major universities, especially one that has so traditionally been a male-dominated college (women weren't even allowed in the main library on Harvard's campus until almost 1970), but I hope she was hired for her credentials and not her gender. When I imagine myself in the classroom, I hope I can teach as gender-neutrally as possible. Why not shift the focus to encouraging students of all "minorities" to engage in academics, especially in the technology field. I think many bright young women, as well as many bright young Black, Hispanic and Asian students are all overlooked as candidates for careers in the sciences. I hope teachers who read this article will remember the importance of encouraging all students, regardless of gender, race, economic status or background, to pursue a challenging career field and work hard at improving their knowledge in the areas of science and technology. It's the future for everyone.