by Kara Ross, Founder of DIAMONDS UNLEASHED
Women have a regal history in computer science. In the 1800s, Augusta Ada Lovelace was involved in the development of the very first computer, Charles Babbages’ Analytical Engine. Jean Jennings Bartik created programs for one of the first fully functional computers called the ENIAC in the 1940s and Grace Hopper developed the programming language called COBOL.
In 1984 37% of all computer science graduates were women; now, that number is just 18%. In the 1980s, we began to see a rise in personal home computing and the faces behind their development — namely Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Primary thought leaders in computer science became more male focused and computer science degrees became more popular. Janet Abbate, author of Recoding Gender, a book on this very topic, recognized a shift that occurred in the1980s. Girls who excelled in math were once viewed as the best candidates for computer science degrees, however as male influencers gained more recognition, there was an evident shift in perception. Boys who tinkered with computer equipment were now viewed to have more potential in the computer science space than girls who were gifted mathematically.
Over the last 30 years, the number of female role models in computer science has diminished greatly, however girls’ interest in these disciplines is widespread at early ages. To their detriment, this interest often wanes as they realize boys and men dominate these roles. According to techbridge.org, less than 60% of girls know another female in a STEM career.
There is a huge opportunity for women to recapture their share of the computer science jobs in the years to come. Although technology creeping into every facet of our lives, women only represent 14% of the engineering workforce. By 2020, there will be 1.4 million jobs available in computing related fields. US graduates are on track to fill 29% of those jobs, but women are on track to fill just 3%.
When I launched DIAMONDS UNLEASHED, I selected Girls Who Code as one of our beneficiaries because I saw a huge opportunity in the United States for women to be employed in these computer science roles.
DIAMONDS UNLEASHED is a mission-driven, for profit company focused on using diamonds as a platform to create educational opportunities for girls by donating 100% of our net profits to organizations that provide educational scholarships for girls. Our focus is education through employment; we believe that by providing a girl with an education, you can change not only her life, but the lives of her family and community.
Organizations like Girls Who Code are working to change the way girls think about computer science and other STEM professions. One of the foundational goals of the DIAMONDS UNLEASHED is for girls to be employable and through GIRLS WHO CODE clubs and Summer Intensive programs, they are achieving just that.
Founder of Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, says that they have grown from only 20 girls in New York to 10,000 girls in 42 states. That’s the same number of girls who graduate each year with a degree in computer science.
Saujani says, “When girls learn to code, they become change agents in their communities. Whether it’s a game to illustrate the experience of an undocumented immigrant or a website to provide free college prep, our girls create technology that makes the world a better place.”
Girls Who Code is making a difference, 65% of the girls who participate in the GWC clubs say they are considering a major or minor in computer science because of Girls Who Code and 90% of the 10th and 11th grade girls who participate in the Summer Immersion programs say they are planning to pursue a major or minor in computer science or a closely related field.
Girls Who Code doesn’t just stop at education, 57 top companies have pledged to hire Girls Who Code alumnae — some of the names on this list include technology names like AT&T, Adobe, Facebook, General Electric, Microsoft, IBM, Twitter and Pinterest as well as fashion and beauty brands including Kate Spade and Sephora.
A typical computer programmer with only some college education earns an average of $76,000 a year which is $3,000 a year more than a person with a bachelor’s degree in a non-technical role. (STEMtistics from Change the Equation.)
According to the Change the Equation analysis of Economic Modeling Specialists International, if women were fully represented in the computer science workforce, we’d have about 1.8 million more computer scientists. As a person and through DIAMONDS UNLEASHED, I believe that education is the key to ending poverty, but an education means different things around the world.
In developing countries, having an education means that girls learn to read and write and avoid child marriage. It affords them many opportunities to make an impact in their own communities and teach others.
In the US, we are so fortunate that a basic education is free — the focus here is on advanced education and making sure they are employable. I am so proud that through DIAMONDS UNLEASHED, we can make a difference and help these young women have an amazingly bright future by supporting Girls Who Code.