No, not the politically correct kind. I'm talking about Girly Geeks. The computer literate pushy know-it-all females who dare invade the tech domain and think that they actually know what they're doing.
Gasp away at the blunt wording, but how far has the world, and business at large, come towards accepting women in the techie ranks? Yes, we are seeing more women in the highest ranks, but what about the regular ranks of those who come to repair the copier, install the satellite system, or even work on the phone lines? Does that image come easily to mind?
Probably not, here's some of what I found on a quick search for today on the topic:
According CNBC's Jonathan Fortt, a lot of the statistical data placing women in 'tech' jobs are just clumping companies in to tech roles while it is more likely that women are simply fulfilling supporting roles. http://www.cnbc.com/id/101217146
Mark Fidelman, Contributor to Forbes, writes that it is training and education. http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2012/06/05/heres-the-real-reason-there-are-not-more-women-in-technology/
So, what is the deal here? What about mindset? Is it possible that we are still dismissing our girls as not being capable of handling our valuable equipment?
Let's look at it this way-
Boy child vs girl child, who is more likely to receive a hand-held gaming device for the holidays? I have to admit, I for one thought long and hard about this, and was very ashamed to realize that I predominately bought my son handhelds while buying my daughter higher end phones while they were in preteens and teens. My mindset was that she wasn't interested. The issue here is that if we don't put the tech into our daughters' hands, then how will they become comfortable using it?
In a fix-it situation, are you more likely to ask for a man at the hardware store (or tech dept) if a woman is available? You KNOW that you want to say that you wouldn't, but really think about it. The last time phoning in and a female answered, did you ask, "I don't know if you can help me but-" It's a small, miniscule thing, but imagine the ego on the other side constantly bombarded with doubt in the ability to do something so small as locate screws or diagnose why the computer screen settings are sideways.
In this computer dependent world, how often do you think women who work on a pc every day, hang their heads in shame and confess that they don't know 'computer stuff'? Women who are terrified of exploring the limits of the machines that they use every day. One beep or error message sends them into panic mode. How often do those around her laugh and shake their heads mumbling, "Yeah. She hasn't got a clue. She'll never learn." It happens more often than you think. Could those same women become more confident if given a bit more encouragement?
Remember, we can only change the world one person at a time, and each person has to choose to do the changing.
