wildchocolate

Although I’m not sure the impact Barbie may have on young girls of today, when I was a little girl I loved Barbie! I must have owned a dozen different barbies all with different themes: Lifeguard Barbie, Hair Dresser Barbie, Model Barbie, Equestrian Barbie, etc. But I most certainly did not have a Computer Engineer Barbie! Mattel’s new Computer Engineer Barbie is a step in the right direction I would argue, but can Barbie get through to young girls that engineering is an exciting career? A girl can dream…

However, the more companies, like Mattel, who realize the impact they can have by taking this kind of action, the closer we will get to seeing women at an equal footing in engineering and related fields.

If you’re interested, this article regarding the new Computer Engineer Barbie is particularly interesting. I was shocked to find the extent to which women in Computer Science has actually decreased.

According to the National Center for Women & Information Technology:

In 2008, women earned only 18 percent of computer science degrees, compared to 37 percent in 1985.

That’s not the movement we would all hope to see. I think all of the female engineers out there together, have the opportunity, and the obligation to speak up and get the young generations more comfortable with entering these industries. As one female engineer, Sandra Guo, put it:

Some young women may turn away from science and technology careers because of a perception that people in those careers spend long hours working alone on esoteric ideas in a laboratory or computer room and no, or not enough, time collaborating with others or making positive changes in the world. But in fact, engineers, scientists and technologists most frequently work in groups and often create products that benefit society and build community.

I completely agree with this point. Stereotypes play a major role in causing young women to shy away from engineering. We can all do our part and help Barbie get the word out: engineering is sexy!