Canaidan program aims to get more girls coding

In the Smithson household, every day is Girls Learning Code day.

Take Abi Smithson, for example. At 11-years-old, the Toronto pre-teen already has a solid grasp of basic coding. While other girls her age are surfing the net, Abi can build her own website.

“It’s fun,” she told Yahoo Canada Finance.

Officially, those eager to participate in National Girls Learning Code Day will have to wait until Nov. 8. That’s when girls, ages eight to 13, are invited to take part in a free, six-hour introductory coding class being held simultaneously in 15 cities across Canada. More than 700 girls are expected to enroll in the program, which was launched by Mastercard Canada.

It will be taught by Ladies Learning Code, a non-profit organization that aims to demystify computer programming, and increase women’s involvement and engagement in the tech sector.

The University of Waterloo, another partner, will also participate by hosting a Python-language coding workshop aimed at students who are in disciplines outside of the science, technology, engineering and math, in an effort to introduce a variety of students to coding in a supportive environment.

Perception change needed

Melissa Crnic, co-executive director of Ladies Learning Code, said too many girls grow up with the mistaken belief they don’t have what it takes to understand coding, and that a career in the sector will be dull and isolating.

“For us, technology is a creative tool for girls to build, be creative and change the world,” she said.

Boys have known for decades that being a creator, not just a user, of technology opens up a whole new world of opportunity.

But, for girls, even the basics of how a computer works remains largely a mystery. It’s a reality that continues to push careers (many of them well paid) in the high-tech sector well out of reach.

Computer science is still largely dominated by men, with the intake of women into university science and technology programs dismal, at best.

Mark Giesbrecht, director of the Waterloo’s Cheriton School of Computer Science, said women currently account for about 10 to 15 per cent of the computer technology undergraduate class, a ratio that has remained unmoved for decades.

“I don’t think it is an intimidation factor, because in mathematics as a whole, there is close to 50 per cent intake of women into the programs,” he said.

“There is something very special about the perception in high schools in how computer science is being perceived and it is turning away women in droves.”

In a recent Angus Reid poll, many women respondents said a lack of encouragement early on in their lives, combined with a belief they didn’t possess the right skills, put them off from entering the tech sector.

Of Canadians who considered a career in technology, only 18 per cent were women, the survey found. More than half of women surveyed (57 per cent) expressed no interest in pursuing a job in the tech industry, despite higher-than average salary expectations.

Statistics Canada reports that women employed full time in science, technology, engineering and math (commonly known as STEM) fields earned, on average, $53,200 in 2010, which is the most current data available. For women in non-STEM jobs the average was about $50,200.

It’s a troubling trend, agreed Nicolas Dinh, vice president of mobile payments with Mastercard Canada.

As a technology company, Dinh said Mastercard relies on a diverse workforce to help drive innovation. Yet, women are “definitely underrepresented” among the company’s technology division.

Abi Smithson is a graduate of several courses and camps hosted by Ladies Learning Code. Her parents, entrepreneurs Julie and Alan Smithson, firmly believe coding is an essential part of their daughter’s early education.

Technology is the way of the future, offering an abundance of opportunity and attractive salaries to those with the right credentials.

“More women in the industry – why not?” said Julie. “They should be there. There are a lot of very, very smart little girls.”

And you are never too young to start, said Alan.

“Kids are growing up with iPads now. They are growing up with technology. The ability to go from user to creator is very easy at that age, so why not get their attention and engage them at a young age.”