Panopy

This is kind of a meta-entry for Ada Lovelace Day. Instead of writing about a particular woman (I’ve already written about 45 of them so far in my iPhone app, Secret Ada), the topic is “Women in Technology: Why Care About Gender?”

Ideally, some say, we should ignore gender and focus on accomplishments. But “ideally should” does not imply “should,” because where idealism is concerned, reality usually gets in the way. The real world has a global tapestry of gender issues, from the blatant to the subtle. Discrimination based on gender is tightly woven into most human cultures.

Many Internet users enjoy cultures where anyone can knock on a door and that door will be opened. But whether due to blatant discrimination or subtle cues based on gender, women often get turned away from technology paths long before that door even appears on their horizon, when they are young girls.

Steve Jobs once eloquently described a computer as “a bicycle for the mind.” Computers are a particularly powerful technology, but all technologies, not just computers, are force multipliers for the effectiveness of a person doing and making things in the world. Today, still, a significant proportion of the human race is taught, trained, coaxed, cued, and sometimes forced, to stay away from involvement with technologies. Involvement that could help them learn more, do more, and make more cool stuff. It’s not only them who are missing out, of course – all of us are poorer for not having what they could have contributed.

This doesn’t mean technology is for everyone. Nor do I mean to say that technology is the best way, or only way, to make and do cool stuff. But it is one great way, and it is a pity if some people who could have thrived in it are turned away from it, for false reasons.

One of the best things we can do is to encourage children when they are at critical decision points in their schooling. A great way to do this is to make sure there are plenty of role models, and that these role models are well known. You and I may already know, and may take for granted, that women can totally rock in technology. But children, new to this world and often getting negative cues from peers and even parents and teachers, do not always know. Efforts like Ada Lovelace Day can be a big help. Talking about women in technology sends the message far and wide that the negative stereotypes about what women should not do, or can not do, are wrong. This opens minds, including young minds of any gender, who are learning about the world and their place in it.