Dive Brief:
- A poll by Gallup and Google found both students and teachers believe boys are more interested and capable than girls when it comes to computer science.
- 62% of boy students in seventh to 12th grade said they were confident they could learn computer science, compared to 46% of girls.
- The study involved students, parents and teachers from schools across the country.
Dive Insight:
When teachers were asked, "Who do you think is more interested in learning computer science?", 63% of them said boys; only 4% said girls.
A recent National Science Foundation study found a significant drop in women choosing to study computer science over the last 30 years. Nearly 40% of computer science majors in 1984 were female, according to the study. Today, it's 18%.
The tech industry has been under fire for its lack of diversity in the workforce in recent months. Alleged unfair employment practices has become a hot button issue, as workforce composition disclosures by tech companies have shown low percentages of women in technical roles.
