FOOD & DRINK We’re taking on the tech world
“The first computer
Women make up only 15% of people in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathermatics) roles and this figure falls to just 5% for leadership roles, ac- cording to a recent PwC study. Tech has a gender-gap problem – a big one – and something needs to be done about it.
When one group dominates the design and build of new products, those prod- ucts are unsurprisingly made for that de- mographic. We find tech designed with men’s needs are prioritised, with smart- phone screens made for man-size hands, and mainly men (or men’s ideas of women) as video game heroes. Diversity is about to get even more important as we move into a world of artificial intelli- gence, where bias can wind up en- trenched.
Imagine what tech would be like if the designers and producers reflected the general population in all its diversity. A broader range of lived experiences would deliver brighter, more creative and more useful new ideas to the world, for everybody. Who knows what great inven- tions and products we have missed out on so far?
The stats tell us that some women and girls have been discouraged, openly or otherwise, from pursuing studies and ca-
programmer, Ada Lovelace, was female. In many
countries, 50% of tech students are women.”
reers in STEM. It wasn’t always like that. In fact, the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, was female. In many countries 50% of tech students are women. Young women need to see tech as a welcoming, creative, and fun path. We need to in- crease girls’ access to experiences in order to build their confidence, give them better access to role models, and intro- duce them to a community of like-minded creators.
At Fire Tech, 28% of students are female; that’s twice the national average but still
not good enough. That’s why we’ve intro- duced #AllGirls courses alongside our mixed-gender courses. We are building an environment where girls can explore their interest in tech and build valuable digital skills in an environment that is social, open, supportive and empowering specifi- cally to girls. Because education is one of – if not the – most powerful tool in our arsenal for change.
“As the founder of Fire Tech, I see how much girls enjoy tech and coding when they come to our classes. We have one of the highest girl participation rates around, from six year olds up to 17 year olds. But I also know that we get a lot of calls from girls or their parents who are concerned about being the sole girl in a class,” said Fire Tech’s founder, Jill Hodges.
She continued, “We don’t think tech needs to go ‘pink’ to attract girls, but we do think that more girls will feel excited about coming to a course where they know they'll meet women studying STEM subjects, and build their projects alongside like-minded young women. We can’t wait to see how these girls work together to problem solve, create, communicate, and build a community of tech-enabled young women.”
Fire Tech is the UK’s leading Tech Camp for 9-17 year olds. They have delivered over 12,000 courses to young people in the UK, EU and Middle East. Their programmes have been featured on the BBC, in The Guardian and other leading publications. All courses are taught in small class sizes by subject specialists from some of the UK’s best universities. Book your course:
Fire-Tech.com Get 10% off any of Fire Tech day or residential courses using the code FOCUS10.
www.focus-info.org FOCUS The Magazine 13
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