University of Hull
Candy-coloured iPods and pink phones may have made gadgets more girlie, but the technology that makes them work
is still seen as a man's world.
Now the University of Hull is finding new ways for 'girl geeks' to have their say in how the next generations of
gadgets will work.
The University, like many higher education institutions, is working hard to attract large numbers of female students
into technology but in spite of their efforts they are only recruiting a handful of girls into their technical courses
each year.
And yet in subjects such as Psychology they are finding around 75 per cent of undergraduates are women.
It turns out that computing and psychology have a lot in common. We can create much better devices if the people designing
them understand what makes the users tick, as well as the software.
As a result the two departments have now come together to launch a joint degree to give students a taste of both worlds,
and hopefully engage more girls with technology.
Carrie Francis studied Computer Science at undergraduate level at the University and is now doing a PhD.
She said that although the computer industry is gradually becoming more female-friendly, there is still a shortage of
women.
She has set up a support group for women in computer science and engineering at the University, which she would eventually
like to open up to the public.
"The problem is easiest to see in the computer gaming industry," she explained. "The games and consoles which are targeted
at women are in fact usually designed and programmed by men, who don't necessarily know what women want."
Carrie added: "I started off as a computer techie after I left school and in those days it really wasn't very nice to be a
woman in this industry. But now it is being recognised that the industry needs more women, and there is a lot of effort being
made. Many companies now have support networks and special female-only recruitment days."
Social and business networks for women in the industry have blossomed across the world, including the international Girl Geek
dinner clubs, Microsoft's mentoring scheme and the British Computer Society's dedicated women's group.
Carrie, who has a five-year-old daughter, says the computer industry has many attractive qualities for women.
"I think because it is still quite a new industry, people are more open to flexible working, working from home etc," she
explained. "It is also an industry which you can come to later in life, as well as straight out of school, so it is good for
those looking to change career."
She added: "I think the problem of girls not going into the technology industry stems from the teenage years, when although
it seen as normal for boys to sit playing with computers in their bedrooms at 16, it is not seen as acceptable for girls, so
they are almost expected to 'grow up' past computers and gadgets."
The Computer Science with Psychology course will start next September at the University of Hull, and is now taking
applications.
Rob Miles, computer science lecturer, said: "The industry is suffering from a skills shortage, and although girls use computers,
mobile phones and other gadgets as much as boys, they don't see it as something they could have a career in.
"Studying Psychology alongside Computer Science makes a lot of sense. The psychology of technology is a growing area, because at
the end of the day, most computers are used by people."
