You can inspire girls to code without pandering to stereotypes
If you’re writing about the gender politics of toys, clothes and John Lewis, the advice would normally be think again. Then once more. Then ponder a while longer. And then don’t do it. You can’t win.
It’s a subject that generates plenty of heat, and precious little light. The latté-swilling liberals defiantly stick their sons in dresses and daughters in rugby tops, while traditionalists make hurrumphing noises from behind their Daily Telegraphs as old certainties collapse around them. Battle lines are drawn and caricatures written. People, despite logic, really, really care about this stuff.
I know where I stand — I recently took my (six year old) son to the World Athletics Championships to see Usain Bolt and Mo Farah run their last. He was in a dress (my son, that is — the others either wore lycra or skimpy shorts). But it was a union jack dress of his sister’s, worn to support Farah. So I know where I stand.
But hang on, I work with Erase All Kittens — a coding game currently being marketed (with my wholehearted support) at teaching girls how to code. It’s very successful at doing so… but that’s like pens for ladies isn’t it? Gender stereotyping of the worst kind. I should spit my coffee over my nipper’s dress in horror.
But that’s to miss the point of the way we’re pitching EAK.
It’s not meant to alienate boys — and nor does it. Over half the players are girls (a huge increase on the 20% or so of girls who take part in Code Clubs, for example). But that means that nearly half those learning genuine coding skills are boys. And they’re welcome.
But the point of the way we’re positioning EAK isn’t about gender stereotyping, it’s about balancing out a cultural hiccup. The one that tells us that computers are for boys; that coding is a male geek things; that computer games involve sport or violence.
EAK is popular with girls, so we’re concentrating on making sure they know about it, that they find it, and that they use it and learn the languages that will open up possibilities for them in the future. Hopefully those possibilities will include careers in the tech industry or as entrepreneurs in digital. But that’s their business — we just want to help make sure they have the choice.
Boys can use EAK. We think they should, as it bridges the gap between learning computational thinking and using syntax, in the same way a professional developer would.. But while (we think) there’s nothing as good, they have the illusion of choice in tech education. Girls don’t.
EAK isn’t about dividing the genders into making different choices, it’s about making sure they all have the same choice in the first place.
Jimmy Leach is Chief of Busyness for Erase All Kittens.
