The Truth About Gender Gap In The Tech Field: A Call To Extirpate This Stereotype.

Technology isn’t just for the male geeks or men in suits, it is for anybody who can think and reason. However, this article is more focused on expounding the reason (main truth) why the tech field is highly dominated by the male folks and how its possible to balance the equation and eradicate this stereotype by just changing one or two things from the nous.

First of all, Lets begin with the subject — the ladies; One of the major reason why ladies don’t even consider having a career pursuit towards Technology(IT) or computer science and even in the field of engineering per say is because they think its not even in line with their girlish nature and behavior. They think the tech field doesn’t suit or fit their styles as a lady. Well, I’m here to say that these ideas or reasonings are an irrational misconception of the highest order. It is typical wrong.

Now, the worst case scenario is that the society has gradually, for so many decades now, been lured to grow with this same nonsensical ideology that girls are better in art than science and so you see these days a lot of girls crowding art related courses and might just see three to six girls in science class and most times these six might be there because they intend to study medicine or nursing. What then is the remedy to this deluding concept ladies have about themselves as regards to taking up a career in any of the discipline in the tech environment and also the society’s wrong impression about women and their capabilities? Well… it all lies within the word called Mindset.
Simple as it may sound, it might surprise you to know that it is this mindset that has changed a lot of people’s life positively or negatively based on the contents they pervaded their mind with or (let to duel in).

Change The Mindset

Within the mind of an average lady, she has already downgraded herself with the idea that all the IT and Engineering work style are for the men. And fashion, modeling, and all the eye-to-eye fancy stuff are for her and then you see a beautiful talented girl throwing it all away because of the wrong concept she has grown with or allowed to duel in her mind. Unfortunately, the Society has also contributed to this jeopardy by putting up this antiquated idea that girls are weak or kind of house-keepers. Some even go ahead to say the talent of a woman ends in the kitchen. Others just conclude they just can’t handle the stress engulfing careers in IT/Engineering. Well… Truth be told here, These little points are responsible for the gender gap in IT/Engineering fields and the creation of the stereotype for many years now.

Before I start deracinating these fake ideas off your mind, let's take a quick look at the lives of some great women that stood out and worked beyond boundaries contributing greatly to humanity by there historical work in Technology (IT), Engineering and Science. It might interest you to know that some of these women are(were) happily married women with kids, jobs, their styles, and girlish nature. Their mindsets were bent on contributing greatly to humanity through their works, passion, talents, skills, and drives. They found no reason not to be a part of the technological revolution even when the world thought less of them. All they saw and trusted was possibilities, passion, creativity, and innovation.

Katerine Johnson

Katerine Johnson is an African-American mathematician and physician who took care of three (3) kids as a widow, although, got married later and still helped NASA put an astronaut, John Glenn into orbit around the Earth. Not just sending a man into orbit, She solved a very complex problem using Mathematical Geometry for space travel that nobody at NASA could figure out and that didn’t just send the astronaut to space but also helped send astronauts to the moon and back.
Thank goodness Katerine never taught less of herself instead she decided to go beyond boundaries and do what she was born to do. NASA could not have accomplished all these things without a woman, without Katerine Johnson.

Now let's take it this way, just assume Katherine said to herself “Oh No! Its a man’s job, a man’s business, and work, let me sit at home as a gentle wife that I can be. I’ m just a simple lady, shouldn’t bother my feminine and fragile brain with any algorithm or complex problems of the world. I should go spending time at the salon, movies, friend’s house and so on and so forth….” Well, She didn’t think that at all… instead, she did think it this way; “I’m I not pretty and beautiful enough to dive into the real world situation and solve a problem for the human race? of course, I am”. This could be one of the so many valuable contents that could be roaming on Katherine’s mind as at then

Now let's go deep into Kate's life history and work at NASA a little bit.
During her time, they were no real time computers like what we use today, so some group of highly intelligent black women was employed to do the work of a computer and they were labeled as computers solving problems at NASA. Katerine Johnson happen to be one of these great women and it wasn’t really funny at all but the determination and zeal to prove that they were more than the expectation NASA had towards them kept them going. And they did historical great jobs. So you see… In this our own present generation, we have faster computers, everything digitalized which means workload reduced.

If you’re a lady reading this now, you might be wondering, “Alright, I wanna do great things with tech, I wanna send a man to the moon, I wanna be a computer programmer, I wanna be a badass geek but which area specifically?” Well, the areas of technology (IT) are so many. Let me just list out the ones in my head right now:
Computer science & electrical engineering, computer & communication engineering, mechatronics and system engineering, robot engineering (AI), data science, web development and design, software engineering, database analyst, cyber security science and so on and so forth You're just gonna learn a lot from any part you pick and somehow they are all related. One good thing I like about the modern day technology is that; You don't necessarily need a college degree. You can learn it on your own by DIY. Everything is on the Internet same place you do your Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Utilize your data and google for knowledge, They are lots of online resources, websites and boot camp training centers out there that teaches IT Skills and Engineering. Going to college makes it more wonderful but the optimal purpose is to make a difference, be a part of this great world of tech builders, create a sense of purpose for other girls to join the tech community and solve the world's pressing problems. This is life babe... Please just know that you mean a lot to the world. So get your butt up and start thinking pretty techie.

Margaret Heafield Hamilton

Margaret Hamilton is a computer scientist who was instrumental to NASA’s effort to land humans on the moon in the 1960’s and 1970’s. She was also married and stylish like any other woman of her age but she led the entire software engineering division at MIT instrumentation lab. She took the lead on the software used to govern the flight dynamics of the Apollo spacecraft, which were used for six landing missions between 1969 and 1972.
Hamilton also contributed to concepts of asynchronous software, priority scheduling and priority displays, and human-in-the-loop decision capability which now set the foundation for modern ultra-reliable software design and engineering. WOW!!!

Ada Agusta Lovelace

It might also interest you to know that the first computer programmer was a very Beautiful and Charming Lady, Ada Lovelace. She wrote the first computer Algorithm for Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, The Analytical Engine.
The list continues….

These women stood out and saw technology, not as a male dominating field. They knew they were part of something really great and in other to prove they themselves they needed to be brave and outspoken. You see one thing is that Technology doesn’t care about your color, location, gender, position, background. What it cares about is what you have to deliver. In a few moments, you will see why women are at a better chance of delivering more than man.

In this present generation, we have brave women too, I won’t be able to finish this article if I keep listing out their names. I’d like to call them The Princesses of Technology.
These women carry no magic from birth, is just that by their bold step they’ve become smarter. They have seen a great sense of purpose to follow the odds and challenge their potentials. Not do what others do because it’s right but what do what they want to do because they believe it’s the best. going beyond the limits and breaking bad rules.

But the world still needs more of these women to contribute in one way or the other to solve problems. As the area of engineering, science, and technology continue to experience rapid growth and development most especially computer and information technology (IT), A lot of sectors are now being managed by some form of computer stuff specifically Softwares and Programming. Be it Agriculture, Economics, Entertainment, Education, Electricity, Banking, E-commerce/Business, Internet, Data and Information Management; there’s a whole lot of computer technology involved now. All things working to reduce human effort and help get things done efficiently and accurately.

We’re just in the Golden Age of Computer science but these things are created and managed by humans and by humans I mean men and women. So don’t make it look like the biblical verse that says “The vineyard is ready but the laborers are few.” In this case, the men are doing their part. forget about the ancient dogma and sayings that women are weaker vessels. You might be weak when it comes to emotions and physical power as compared to a man’s. But you ain’t weak in the brain or mind.

An average woman can handle multiple problems inside her head with an evenly distributed concentration on each of the problems than an average man who can only take one problem at a time. A woman, therefore, is exceptionally gifted, possessing raw qualities likened to the breakthrough qualities of a game changer, enterpreneur and problem solver, that is to say; the ability to think logically, mathematically and technologically trying to solve problems and improve lives has been embedded in women from birth and even made them smarter. Why then should you try to limit your God-given potentials when you have all it takes to be productive at all? Think about it.

Need More Clarity?

The kitchen and domestic jobs are for men and women as education, technology, art, science, and engineering are for both too. Exposed and civilized people know this too well.

So many ladies think they are only good for things like fashion, shopping, chatting, spending hours on social media, gossiping, taking selfies, comparing and competing with fellow babes, makeups, fixing hairs, nails, eyelashes and so on and so forth.
Ladies! I challenge you today, you’ve done enough for your body, now focus on reality and originality, look beyond society’s impression of you and start creating, building and making the world beautiful. You can build something, create something. This computer era provides a whole bunch of opportunities to be innovative. There’s nothing bad having a lady as the best web designer, web developer, software developer, electrical engineer, mechatronic engineer, cybersecurity scientist, graphic designer, data scientist, a robotic engineer, system engineer, database manager, product manager, blogger… You can just be whatever you want. There’s just no limit to what you can do or become. Do not let the voices of other people talk you out of your dreams, don’t forget that. And note this too, there’s nothing bad having a lady become the best in any field at all… You must strive to kill this stereotype.

You need to change how you picture yourself around the world because you’re made to create, build and achieve. When you don’t do this… to me it’s like dodging responsibities…

Plain Truth

And this one goes to the society and all the ladies out there who are interested in computer/IT or Engineering but ain’t brave enough to start; Change your mindset. Be courageous. Pass through the hurdles like a game changer that you are. Learn it the hard way or the easy way nothing good comes easy. You’re made tough. You were made to make something. You were made to be productive. You were made smart and internally intelligent. You can succeed better. You were made beautiful to make beautiful products. Take the decision. You can learn faster than a man, don’t waste that intellectual gift, go learn something today. Prove the ancient belief about your gender wrong. Knowledge is for everybody and anyone who can reason and think and you’re even born a fast thinker. Just know that you’re the one depriving yourself now if you don’t do anything coz the world is not stopping you at all. You being a woman is a blessing from God. Leave that social media right now be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, go learn how these things were made. Make something more awesome. Take your selfies in front of your finished products, work, and your achievements. Spend your time on things that are worthwhile. You’ve been missing the link but now you’ve found it.
You really, really, really count. Yeah! Just know that.

End quote:

Girls and boys need the opportunity to learn computer science. By building technology, you make our world smaller and our future brighter.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO.