I think that a gender gap exists between males and females in the use of technology. This is also reflected at MCAST, for example at the Electrical and Engineering Institute there are approximately 450 male students compared to 50 female students. It is also a known fact that heavy computer users are usually males.
This trend is the result of many factors, including: media depicting men as experts in technology; personal expectations of different goals for boys and girls; and learning abilities. These differences can be reduced if the education system, teachers and parents are sensitive to children's needs and strive to expose both sexes to the use of computer technology.
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It is an established fact that in Malta there are less female students who pursue subjects such as engineering and computer studies, although the numbers are slowly increasing. I think that it is not an issue of the education system, since nowadays children are exposed to the use of computers even in primary classes. I feel that it is more a case of mentality.
ReplyDeleteWomen are still not accepted in certain positions even if they have worked very hard for them and perhaps give a better performance than their male counterparts. Many think for example that engineering work is not suitable for girls because you have to have a certain amount of physical strength. This certainly is not the case. However it is still very hard to shake off this mentality, even though we are always hearing about gender equality at the workplace.
At the risk of sounding slightly sexist, I'm going to contribute to this post.
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason why kids are attracted to computers is games. Kids love playing games... actually male kids enjoy playing competitive games more than females. Note the word 'competitive', since females do like playing computer games, but not competitive ones, by and large.
It's been like this since humans existed on Earth: the males competed to get food, to get mates... later on they competed in battle. I think this translates to computer gaming nicely: males play more competitive computer games than females to keep their competitive instinct in check.
Which brings us to computer usage gender percentages when the kids grow up. The males, having been used to the computer more than the females, feel more at ease on a computer than females.
Of course, today this effect is not as pronounced as centuries ago, but it is still there.
One final thing: the risk-takers are usually males as well, which is why I took the risk of posting this response. :)
In my teaching experience at IICT I have always noticed that female students are in the minority. It must be said that in general, the female students perform better than most male students.
ReplyDeleteTruely heavy computer users are generally males but it doesn't mean that female students are less skilled.
I agree with the above post that in general boys are more inclined to being heavy computer gamers and are very competitive.
A student of mine recently conducted a study amongst women studying IT at higher education level (University) to try and identify their perspectives on IT as a subject and gain more insight as to why one doesn't find so much female presence, both at University and in Industry, in technology-oriented domains as in other fields of study. The common perception which emerged from the field of study, is not in as much as the content, as the way that content is being taught and transmitted.
ReplyDeleteE-learning might be exploited in this manner, as certain methods which might be adopted and which might direct towards a more personalised and flexible approach in learning, might overcome such boundaries based upon traditional ways of conveying information as knowledge.
As for the comments that technical subjects are male dominated, I think that it is a fact. The reason I do not really know, save for the fact that males tend to be more inclined to technical situations than females. Given that, the female minority in the classes I teach at ICT, still compare favourably to males. In certain circumstances they make more diligent students
ReplyDeleteBut the perspective I wist to take here is using IT as a tool. That is the main expertise of the person would be say teaching or medicine where IT will act as a catalyst rather than the object of study itself.
Today's worrld increasingly depends on IT in various degrees. The more you know about IT the better. But what makes one more powerful is when one manages to apply IT to his / her field of expertise. I.e. Computer Auditing, Medical Informatics and the like. In this way I think that the gender boundary will dissolve.
This is an interesting topic regarding gender issues. This affects gender differences in career choices. While research suggests that women now comprise equal numbers with men in many professions, such as law and medicine and are very evident in junior to middle management. On the other side most professions and organizations remain heavily male dominated. This also remain a problem in relation to apprenticeships and vocational training courses, as well as in relation to subjects studied by men and women at university.
ReplyDeleteSignificantly in the University of Malta, women outnumber men in the Faculty of Economic, Management and Accountancy, where they number 54% of students.
Men manage to hold their ground in dentistry and in science (where they account for half the number of students), architecture (60%), and retain absolute dominance in engineering and computer science. This means that women are less dominant in Computer literate and hence for e-learning programs.
Females actually are in a minority in certain careers which are considered as men's territory. All this starts when as toddlers we give the girls a doll and the boys a car to play with, thus already expecting 'girly' activities from the females and lo and behold if a girl asks for a 'boys' toy.
ReplyDeleteFrom as little as a couple of years old children are influenced on what should be right for them. This is known as stereotypical behavior (although I also believe that these stereotypes are being reduced as time goes by.) I think that this might be one of the reasons why in certain areas such as navigation, females are in a minority.
Although I agree with most you, in the sense that IT is mostly male dominated, female positions in technology are incrfeasig at a very fast rate. Such increases are attributed to the advancements in technology such as teleworking.
ReplyDeleteSuch technologies make it possible for people to work from the confort of their homes by means of virtual private networks. VPNs have made it much easier for us to work from virtually any place. But a question come to mind. Has man made it more confortable to work, by working from any possible place?
This blog is very interesting because it is something I have experienced first hand.
ReplyDeleteI learnt how to use the computer at a very early age and at that time used to play games, mostly. Then I started using it for chatting. I started realizing that the computer had something which fascinated me. I wanted to do the o'level, but they did not offer it at the secondary school I used to go to (it was a 'girls school'!). So yes the educational system does play an important role in effecting these gender differences. I took the subject privately, but not everyone would have.
In a-level we were also a minority of girls (like only 3). And with respect to all of the guys, but they really did not like it when a girl did better in them in such a subject!
Now I hear that the numbers are balancing out, and I think it's due time, because I do not believe that there is anything either psychological or physical, that can keep a girl back from doing well in the field of IT.
Adding to what Alex has already said, there are evolutionary reasons why men and women tend to naturally gravitate towards certain professions, which explains the relative percentages in areas such as engineering or the caring professions. Simply put, the brains of men and women are wired very differently, well-developed in some areas and less in others.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much we rant about gender equality, there is no way we can undo millions of years of evolution so quickly. What we can push for are equal opportunities, which is something I firmly believe in. It then comes down to individual merit, where the issue of being male or female becomes irrelevant, most notably in a job setting.
In agreement with the issue that seafarer raised about haw society moulds people into what they should or should not do, I do believe that subconsciously gender plays a role in our career choice. To continue with the issue I would like to add two comments:
ReplyDelete1. When an area of study or work is dominated by men people raise the gender card, however when it is a female dominated area this is rarely the case. Take primary school teachers or hairdressing for example. The issue that females have a predisposition for such work is acceptable however the issue that men have a predisposition is not accepted and is seen as gender discrimination...food for thought! ! !
2. Males and Females have equal opportunities as far as education is concerned. As was pointed out in different posts there are various courses both within MCAST as well as UoM where female populations are either dominating or else on the increase. As far as I know when students apply for a course at MCAST they are not discriminated against depending on gender. It is therefore up to the individual’s choice to decide which course of study to follow.
wow some of the comments above make me feel like we're still living with Fred Flintstones :) Of all the nonsense about instinct and evolution. If we were just biology then by all means however it has been agreed by the world at large for some time now, that we are actually social beings. Stereotypes are created by people who need an excuse for minimising. Children adopt gender roles through learnt behaviour..so what mum and dad or other significant adults around them do. So here's hoping that more and more IT loving women out there proliferate :)
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