Computers aren't just a man's world


30 November 2005 09:22

For years the stereotype of the computer designer has persisted: young men huddled over computers clicking away on their mice.

However, women are helping shed the geeky image - both by playing games and getting involved in programming.

The games industry is desperate to recruit more women, who now account for 43 per cent of all computer gamers.

The huge success of the equestrian computer game Pippa Funnell: The Stud Farm Inheritance and Playstation 2 innovations such as karaoke game Sing Star have got women clicking away like never before.

And this month the British Computer Society (BCS) revealed it had seen a big increase in its number of female members.

A recent survey by the British Computer Society found 27 per cent of teenage girls would consider a career in IT and 65 per cent found ICT (Information and Communication Technology) school lessons enjoyable.

Among the girls muscling in on what was once considered the territory of nerdy men is Norwich teenager Holly Want.

Miss Want, of Sotherton Road, Norwich got one of the top 10 grades in this year's A-level ICT exam marked by the OCR examining board.

She is now setting her sights on designing computer systems and hopes she will pave the way for more women to embrace technology.

She said: "I think more women should consider ICT. I think it's a bit more relevant than some of the subjects people study.

"I wanted to do something I could use in the future, to make sure I could get a job.

"I think nowadays people are studying what they can get a job from, they are thinking about the future a lot more."

Miss Want is now studying Business Information Systems at the UEA after taking her A levels this year in Business, ICT, Sociology and Law at CNS School in Eaton Road.

She said: "I didn't mind being the only woman because they were fairly small classes so it did not make too much difference.

"In the future I would like to do something like designing computing systems for business."

Her sister, Heidi, 17, has also been bitten by the computing bug and is taking an ICT A level next year.

She said: "I would advise other women to think about studying ICT - it's not a man's subject at all."

She said the reason she was interested in it was because she had grown up with computers.

"I don't think it's a male arena anymore. I think it could be both.

I think there will be more women working in ICT in the future."

Simon Laycock, ICT co-ordinator at CNS, said: "We are very proud of what Holly has done. I feel as more and more women are getting qualified in ICT the gender gap in the work place will close."

However, nationally the number of men who sat A-levels in ICT was double that of women.

Even though women make half of the UK's overall workforce, the number employed in technology industries fell from 27 per cent in 1997 to 21 per cent this year.

Only 17 per cent of students starting computer science degrees in the UK are women and 28 per cent of UK organisations do not employ women technologists.

Industry commentators say women are put off from thinking about hi-tech careers because of a lack of successful role models.

Miss Want will be presented with her award at the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) in Piccadilly, London on December 2.

The event will be hosted by former Olympic and World Athletes champion Sally Gunnell.

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