In 1995, I challenged scientists, engineers and policy makers at the National Science Foundation to make 50/50 by 2020 in science and engineering our national goal. Today, with labor shortages in technical fields, I am making a more specific challenge to the technology community: By the year 2020, half of the people impacting all aspects of technology, in education, design, development, deployment and policy, should be female.
As you read on and discover why I believe meeting this challenge is essential, why I believe it is possible, and what I am doing about it, I would like you to consider three questions.
We hear from all sides that the future of humankind will be intertwined with and dependent upon technology. We are riding a tidal wave of change that will transform the way we live and work. Our umbrellas will call out to us when we leave the house if the forecast calls for rain; we will share virtual snuggles from across the world; our clothes will provide a personal dynamic climate zone; health care will be available remotely in every corner of the earth. We wire our schools, libraries, hospitals and malls because we believe that access to information through technology will transform society. We are in fact in a critical period in which both technical and policy decisions will significantly impact the form of our future.
But will this technical future be a good place for women? The answer depends on whether technical development takes women in to account, which in turn depends on whether women are involved.
Every invention, or at least the fact that it was invented, reflects the values, perspectives, background and needs of the inventor. The application of technology to the lives of women has often been either an afterthought or based on stereotypical assumptions about the roles and needs of women without the input or participation of those women. The situation improves when it is recognized that the difference in men's and women's situations, whether physiological or environmental, warrant different tools, techniques or solutions, and when design is based on reality rather than on stereotypes. This enlightenment most often occurs when women are involved as creators and when their input as users/subjects is actively sought and used. It is no accident that as women entered medicine in large numbers, medicine began to question the application to women of research results from studies using only male subjects. Nor is it surprising that the serious development of non-stereotypical computer tools and games appealing to girls has been initiated by women who listen to girls.
Who is creating technology today and who will create it in the future? Consider computer and information technology as a case in point. In the 50 years of its existence, many women have entered the computer field. In 1984, the computer science and computer engineering (CS&E) bachelor's degrees awarded to females reached nearly 40% of the total. Although one might expect that thirteen years later this population would have percolated into the senior technical ranks, researchers, developers and policy makers are still overwhelmingly male. With few exceptions, the higher one goes on the technical track in any company or on the academic ladder, the lower the percentage of women. Current trends in the production of bachelor's degrees indicate that the situation will get worse. By 1993, the percentage of CS&E bachelor's degrees awarded to women had decreased 28%. Many academic departments have experienced more dramatic declines since then. Not only are we not percolating up the ladder at the same rate as men, but we are less often choosing the field at all. In other engineering disciplines, the news is a bit different--growth, but very slow growth with percentages creeping in to the low teens. Clearly, if trends continue women will not have the opportunity to significantly impact technology and may be left out of some fields all together.
In their disturbing book, The Futures of Women: Scenarios for the 21st Century, McCorduck and Ramsey detail four future scenarios. In their backlash scenario, women retreat from power while IT becomes a tool of control and repression. On the other hand, in their gold age scenario, women take their place as full partners with men, directing policy and design to solve human problems and meet human needs. Education thrives and health improves. I have read no more compelling rationale for 50/50 by 2020.
To achieve 50/50 by 2020, we must transform the relationship between women and technology. The number of girls pursuing math and science education must increase to parity with boys. Women must be encouraged to chose technical studies and careers. Women who make that choice must be supported as far as their skills and interests allow. The environment must assure that women of all backgrounds and races can bring the full richness of their experience to their work. Finally, women's needs and situations must be considered in all phases of tech nology study, design, development, deployment and policy.
The process of increasing the participation of women in technical areas and developing technology that meets women=92s needs can be seen as a spiral of growth and change. As education changes and the number of women in technology increase, the results of their work will more and more reflect the experience and situations of women. As more useful tools and products appear, women's lives improve and world becomes a more hospitable place. As women find technology useful and appealing and the stereotype of "nerd" loses its power, the field will become more appealing and more women will seek technical education for themselves and their daughters. This is a wildly optimistic vision, but without a vision we cannot progress.
Why, in the face of current trends, in the face of a spiral going the wrong direction, am I optimistic about achieving 50/50 by 2020? The answer lies in responses to the three questions that I posed earlier. I asked them of systers, a virtual community for women in computing (www.systers.org). Simply asking the questions opened a world of new possibilities. One woman stated that the questions alone opened the door to a future that she had not known she could not live without. The answers included suggestions for changing education (teaching creative brainstorming, improved lab designs, and engineering degree programs at women's colleges) and the workplace (telecommuting taken seriously, daycare(!), participatory management, all-women design teams). However, their excitement, genius and humor showed brightest when these technical women dealt with technology.
This is only the tip of the iceberg of an unrealized potential. The implementation of each and every one of these suggestions challenges existing technology and requires not only sophistication and genius, but that attention be paid to the needs of women.
To realize the visions that these questions and answers inspire, I am working with corporations and foundations to build an "institute for women and technology." There, we will develop and use information technology as part of a strategy to assure that the spiral grows outward toward improvement and inclusion. Staff at the institute will collaborate internationally on projects that:
In the coming months, the institute will begin to take shape with the help of the PBWC community. I hope that you will join me in reaching for the stars. Take 50/50 by 2020 to heart, whatever your field. Our future depends on it!
For more information about the institute for women and technology, contact Dr. Anita Borg at borg@systers.org or at +1 650 948 2093.
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