Research from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln this week illustrates a unique type of stereotype threat: being ogled. In a study supposedly looking at “teamwork,” researchers asked specially trained assistants to partner with members of the opposite sex and give them not-so-subtle once-overs. Women who received an objectifying glance from their male partners scored lower on a subsequent math test than women who didn’t, while the men’s scores were unaffected. In addition, the women who were ogled were more likely than those who weren’t to express interest in interacting more with their male partners.
The researchers point out that “When it comes to something subtle like this, it’s very difficult to combat … It’s sort of expected that men are going to do this to women and that really it’s just not that harmful. Even though it is just a look, it has meaningful consequences for women.” How do you think employers might address this phenomenon, which is more subtle than sexual harassment but still influential? How do you think it might affect co-ed classroom environments?
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Congratulations to our friends at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an Academic Alliance member which earlier this week announced that it had experienced a 23 percent increased in applications from women! The college has been ranked as the top undergraduate engineering school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and for the first time received more than 4,000 freshman applications. “We are very excited about the prospect of more women interested in the engineering profession,” said Jim Goecker, vice president of enrollment management. “Our women’s enrollment has historically been at or slightly above the national average. To have this sudden surge of applications from women is great for Rose-Hulman and the engineering profession.”
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Google announced last week that it was accepting grant applications for its CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) program, which seeks to increase the number of students choosing to major in computer science by increasing the number of K-12 students who study computing. The grants are designed to fund a university, community college, or technical school to put on a CS4HS workshop for local middle and high school teachers, who can then expend and improve their teaching. The grants are unrestricted and can be applied towards all sorts of resources, including teacher training, supplies, and curriculum development materials. Google is accepting applications until February 18, 2011, and strongly encourages K-12 teachers to work with local universities to submit an application. Our own University of Colorado did a CS4HS workshop last year – how about you this year?
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Jessica Livingston, a founding partner at Y Combinator, blogged this week about why there are so few women founders. Rather than generalizing among all women, she wrote about her own experience and provided a few suggestions for women – not just those who are thinking about starting companies, but in particular those to whom the thought hadn’t occurred. What struck us was her identification of two major pitfalls: not realizing that a startup founder could have been someone “like me”, and not knowing any technical cofounders. One of these seems like a confidence/self-perception issue; but what if they both are? Maybe women wouldn’t feel the need to seek out technical cofounders if THEY were the technical cofounder?
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The New York Times has been featuring an interesting series of articles with the International Herald Tribune called The Female Factor, and this week there were several stories reporting on women in the workplace in various countries around the world. One story, “The Code That Needs to Be Broken,” reports on the unwritten rules that determine success and advancement, and how men and women read them differently. At CH2M Hill, “Female engineers hung back, failing to push for promotions and mentors while male colleagues aggressively worked the system. Women sought more experience to rise, while men with less training demanded more responsibility.” A recent survey of global companies from Catalyst found that despite the “high-minded corporate talk about balancing work and life,” women were more likely than men to rate visibility as important for advancement, and to seek visibility by working long hours and spending time physically in the office.
Another story, “For Women in the Workplace, An Upgrade Problem,” looks at ways that European countries are working to get more women into managerial and leadership roles. A recent survey of 600 large companies from the World Economic Forum found that a “masculine or patriarchal corporate culture” and “lack of role models” were the biggest obstacles cited for would-be female leaders. “Dismantling such barriers requires employers — and particularly senior leaders, who are mostly still men — to take a hard look at gender initiatives and whether they translate into more promotions for women.” Programs that “fix the women” by sending them through leadership training or building affinity networks for them may not be enough. “European companies…are realizing that it’s really about changing the culture — and not just to one that is friendly to women, but to one that women would want to be a part of.”
Did You Know? is a brief round-up of information and news that crossed NCWIT’s radar this week that we think might be of interest to you. Practices or content of the news presented are not vetted or endorsed by NCWIT. Please join the conversation in the comments.
- K-12
- K-12
- I Want To
- K-12 Resources
K-12 Resources
Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities.
- K-12 Programs
K-12 Programs
Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels.
- K-12 Alliance
K-12 Alliance
Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Higher Education
- Higher Education
- I Want To
- Higher Ed Resources
Higher Education Resources
Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Education Programs
Recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- Academic Alliance
Academic Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Workforce
- Workforce
- I Want To
- Workforce Resources
Workforce Resources
Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions.
- Workforce Programs
Workforce Programs
Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more.
- Workforce Alliance
Workforce Alliance
Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact.
- Get Involved
- Resources
- Resources
- Programs
- Programs
- Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career.
- BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM
BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting.
- Color of Our Future
Color of Our Future
The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American).
- Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change
Conversations for Change is an online thought leadership series that presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing.
- Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing
Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways.
- Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed Programs
Higher Ed programs recognize students’ computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more.
- NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions
NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition.
- Regional Initiatives
Regional Initiatives
NCWIT’s Regional Initiatives bundle research-backed programs and practices to increase the local participation of women and girls in tech fields and careers. To understand local computing ecosystems, and cater content and programming to needs on the ground, NCWIT partners with community stakeholders to build awareness, inspire participation, and connect women to like-minded peers, role models, and opportunities.
- Sit With Me
Sit with Me
Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion.
- Tech Inclusion Journey
Tech Inclusion Journey
The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures.
- Aspirations in Computing
- News & Events
- News & Events
- NCWIT Summit
NCWIT Summit
The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing.
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News
Check out NCWIT’s latest press releases, press mentions, newsletters, blogs, and articles we are talking about!
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Events
NCWIT offers various in-person and virtual events throughout the year and is also present at many other industry events. Find out about past and upcoming items here.
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