Tackling gender disparity

The list of high-profile, female CEOs in the national technology realm contains few names. Only Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett Packard Co., and Margaret Whitman, CEO of eBay Inc., come to mind.

Advocates for a new Indianapolis-based program hope they can contribute to those ranks.

Developed

by Girls Inc, of Indianapolis, a not-for-profit, after-school and summer programming organization for girls 6 to 14, the Girls and Technology initiative is designed to give girls' technology skills a boost. More important, organizers hope it will keep them interested in technology-related careers as they get older.

"There is a lack of female role models and mentors that encourage girls to stay involved in technology," said Nancy McMillan, a Girls Inc. board member who led the new technology initiative. McMillan also works in Eli Lilly and Co.'s human resources department. "There's not a lot in the classroom setting that's encouraging them."

According to a White House Council of Economic Adviser study, women make up only about 29 percent of the technology-related work force. According to the study, girls spend an hour per week more on computers than do boys from fourth to seventh grade. After that, computer use by girls drops dramatically. When girls enroll in computer classes later, they are more likely to be attracted to word processing or non-technical application-related classes. Boys are more apt to gravitate toward computer science and computer design.

The first phase of the Girls and Technology program, called Tech Time, is expected to serve about 500 girls as an after-school program in 2002. About 2,500 girls participate annually in Girls Inc.'s main programming.

To start, the technology program will only be offered from Girls Inc. centers in Fountain Square and at 40th Street and Central Avenue. Both areas present additional challenges because many of the girls come from families at or below the poverty line-an economic group that lacks regular computer access at home and is less likely to have computer-savvy families.

The group's research showed that many of the girls in the areas attended neighborhood schools that aren't wellequipped technologically and that the average time they spent using computers was about one hour a week.

The Girls and Technology program teaches participants basic training on personal computers, such as keyboarding, word processing and Internet skills. The first phase will serve as a foundation for more advanced learning in the second phase, Tech Challenges, scheduled to begin in 2003. It will concentrate on using newly acquired computer skills to accomplish specific projects and activities.

One planned project, called "The Making of a Great Entrepreneur," looks at development activities in the field of computer technology. "We put this in context for them so they don't just think it's a game," said Tonja Conour, president of Girls Inc. of Indianapolis. The program will cost Girls Inc. about $75,000 for new hardware, software and curriculum development. A $25,000 grant from The SallieMae Foundation will help offset those costs.

The program will be taught mainly by students from IUPUI's tech-related programs. Joe DeFazio, assistant professor in Purdue's computer technology department and Indiana University's School of Informatics, arranged for students to receive college credit if they participated in teaching the Girls and Technology program.

DeFazio believes there's a long way to go before there is parity between the numbers of women and men in technology fields, but he said great strides are being made. He pointed to at least six full-time female faculty members in technology departments at IUPUI.

"Students can align with female professors as mentors," he said.

Many women in technology-related fields believe any lack of interest in the technology industry is perpetuated by stereotypes in the media of mate programmers and CEOs.

"If there's a picture in a magazine or a character on television who is a scientist or a computer programmer, they're white men for the most part," said Joyce Boadt, manager of Lilly Research Laboratories at Eli Lilly and Co. and president of the Indianapolis-based organization Women and High-Tech. "When girls took to see who's out there in the media or how women are portrayed, what they see are the more traditional roles."

Boadt says young girls tend to be attracted to more creative outlets while boys are attracted to technology. Finding a way to show girls there is room for both is part of the challenge. Boadt used an example from her information technology team at Eli Lilly, in which a female computer analyst likes the creativity and interaction she gets by dealing with customers, while a male team member prefers to sit and program.

"[Women and High-Tech's] goal is to really attract young girls and young women to the field by providing role models, educational opportunities and partnering with organizations like Girls Inc. to provide volunteers and mentors for their programs," Boadt said.

While the Carly Fiorinas are few and far between, a growing number of women are in lead technology positions within large companies. To speed up that growth, those women say, it's necessary to nurture the technology interests of young girls.

"Young girls are easily influenced by peer pressure, and if technology skills are not determined to be cool, then we run the risk of losing their interest and talent early on," said lane Niederberger, senior vice president and chief information officer for Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc.

Niederberger said she was never interested in a career in technology when she was growing up. The Massachusetts native was more concerned with a career in which family and work didn't interfere with each other.

"Technology didn't exist as a career option like it does now," she said. "Anthem's previous CIO, Cecilia Claudio, was my only female mentor for technology. She was instrumental in boosting my confidence that I could really make a difference in this field."

Today, Niederberger said, there are no real barriers for women to advance in technology-related fields other than a lack of interest. For now, they'll have to accept that a majority of people in lead technology roles are still men.

"It is not unusual for me to walk into a CIO forum that is greater than 95 percent male," Niederberger said. "The challenge is having the confidence to hold Your own in those meetings."