According to the National Science Foundation, women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce. The problem is the same at the college-level— only 19 percent of students identifying as women and just 2 percent of women of color graduate with degrees in computing.
Women and girls are being left out of the jobs of the future. In 2018, tech was responsible for about 10 percent of total U.S. job growth. Last year, the median wage in tech was over $80,000, nearly double the median national wage.
Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in computer science. And we’re focused on reaching girls as early as possible in the pipeline, because we know that nearly 70 percent of the growth in the tech pipeline could come from changing the path of our youngest girls.
A significant part of our work is also helping girls build their bravery and their confidence. We’re not just giving our girls a computer science education, we’re also giving them the confidence they need to one day ask for a raise, or petition for a promotion. And it’s crucial to have these skills within tech—a field where female engineers make, on average, about 90 cents per dollar earned by their male counterparts.
A few weekends back, I spoke at #LEADLIKEAGIRL: A Conference for Risk-Takers and Changemakers at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, NJ. In efforts to close the wage gap, Stuart Country Day School is an independent school community that empowers girls to advocate for themselves, discover mentors and have experiences that unleash their confidence and bravery. In fact, the National Coalition of Girls’ School states, “In math and computer skills, girls’ school graduates rate their confidence in their abilities at least 10% higher than their coeducated counterparts.” Financial capital and exploration can make a world of difference in a young person’s life, giving them the skill sets to confidently pursue their dreams without looming limitations.
At Stuart and at Girls Who Code, we take pride in providing girls with the tools they need to succeed.
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