Why Aren’t More Girls in the UK Choosing to Study Computing and Technology?为何英国学计算机和技术的女孩越来越少？

林赛·霍普 商裴裴

Getting women into tech careers has never been more important， but teachers believe old-fashioned stereotypes about subjects such as design and technology and computer science put girls off choosing them at school.

In 2020， the number of girls choosing to study computer science GCSE1 was 16，919—just over 21.4% of total entrants—compared with 61，540 boys. Slightly fewer girls and boys picked the subject compared with the previous year.

Girls studying design and technology for GCSE fell from 29，741 in 2019 to 28，763 last year and sadly， the low numbers are reflected in job roles. The percentage of women employed in tech has barely moved from 15.7% in 2009 to approximately 17% today.

Sarah Walsh， a technology teacher at the Hathershaw College， Oldham， says getting girls into Stem2 classrooms is vital for the future of UK industry.

“In most schools， only about 10% of students taking product design would be girls， whereas food technology has always been around a 50-50 split. Textiles is 90% girls，” says Walsh.

“We no longer use the terms ‘woodwork， sewing and cooking’ in schools. But we know students still pick up those terms， perhaps from parents and grandparents who recall doing ‘woodwork’ at school. It’s a very old-fashioned idea and it can put girls off. It’s not just boys sat in a workshop with tools. Technology is so much more than that now and although work has been done in education， we need to challenge the stereotypes and the image of these subjects if we are to draw females in.”

Technology has been a huge feature of the pandemic， with the creation of Covid test kits and the test-and-trace system. Walsh believes this has highlighted a need for “creative and dynamic” people with “problem-solving attitudes” who can get the job done.

“Students have been able to see the role technology can play in the real world. We don’t know yet whether this will draw more girls in， there will be a lag before we see the effect. But the need is greater than ever.”

A recent study by the Learning and Work Institute said the UK was facing a looming3 digital skills crisis caused by the falling numbers of young people taking IT courses. It found a gender gap in digital skills， with young women accounting for just 17% of A-level4 entrants in IT subjects. There have also been concerns that fewer girls are choosing to study computing since the old information communication technology （ICT） GCSE qualification was phased out and replaced by computer science. In 2019， 17，158 girls studied computer science， compared with the 20，577 girls who studied ICT in 2018.

So how do schools draw girls in？ Extracurricular activities such as allowing industry specialists to visit schools are vital—but coronavirus has made this difficult. “We’ve got a Stem club running at the minute and 66% of attendees are girls，” explains Walsh. “I have previously worked with Manchester Museum， allowing students to do a Dragons’ Den project where they pitched and sold products.”

Elizabeth English teaches computer science at the Harris Academy St John’s Wood， in Westminster， north-west London. She says numbers have been steadily improving， but there is still work to do.

“Having female computer science teachers is a massive bonus，” English explains. “There is that old adage5—you can’t be what you can’t see. We are lucky at my school to have a lot of female teachers in all Stem subjects but that is probably unusual.”

She says they also focus on having good access to employers. “Google came into school and spent a day working with students. They got very excited about the subject and could see how what they are learning translates to real life.

“We know it is only about the choice and not the enjoyment. Once girls are studying computer science they often love it and perform well.”

English hopes a rise in female gamers and YouTubers could also translate to more girls taking her course. “It’s not a change that is going to happen overnight，” she says. “But a lot of kids， male and female， love social media and YouTube. There are a couple of big gamer girls online who have normalised girls gaming and loving computers. The image is changing. It has become a bit cooler to be geeky6 now. Hopefully in time this will translate to more numbers for us.”

Amelia Bryant is a trainee art， design and technology teacher， also at Harris Academy St John’s Wood. She studied fashion technology at university and worked for the likes of Nike， Barbour7 and Cath Kidston8 as a product developer before changing career paths during lockdown in March 2020 and retraining as a teacher.

“Lots of DT courses are taught by male colleagues but I noticed in my training there were more females， so there has been a shift，” she says. “It’s good to see females in the workshop.

“We have a lot of girls who study food and nutrition， but fewer girls choose DT and engineering. Two-thirds of students in those subjects are boys. It’s definitely something that can be improved.”

She says it’s important to get girls excited about technology while they are still young. “We have found that engaging girls between the ages of 11 and 13 can make a real difference as they are more likely to choose the subject for their GCSEs. Getting them into extracurricular clubs at this age is key.”

The school recently started a robotics club， which has a 50：50 split of boys and girls. Enrichment days， where all students do taster9 sessions， have also been successful in boosting the number of girls choosing to study technology.

“Old-fashioned preconceptions about these subjects do still exist， often driven by family， friends or a wider culture，” adds Bryant. “I hope if more women like me choose to teach technology， we can get more girls into our classrooms and change the face of technology in this country in the future.”

吸引女性从事技术工作的重要性前所未有。但在老师们看来，对设计与技术和计算机科学等科目过时的刻板看法让在校女生对这些课程望而却步。

2020年，在GCSE阶段选修计算机科学的女生只有16919人，将将超过新生总数的21.4%——相比之下，选修的男生高达61540人。与2019年相比，选修这一学科的男女生人数都稍有下降。

在GCSE阶段学习设计和技术的女生也从2019年的29741人下降到2020年的28763人。遗憾的是，学习人数减少对就业状况也有影响。现在，技术岗位的从业女性比例约为17%，相较2009年的15.7%，几乎没有太大变化。

萨拉·沃尔什在奥尔德姆的哈瑟肖学校教技术课。她说，让女生走进理工学科的课堂对英国工业的未来至关重要。

“在大多数学校，学习产品设计的学生中女孩只占10%左右，学习食品技术的男女比例不相上下，学习纺织的90%都是女生。”沃尔什说。

“在学校，我们不再用‘木工、缝纫和烹饪’这样的字眼了。但我们知道，学生们还是知道这些词的，也许是听父母和爷爷奶奶讲起过他们当年在学校做‘木工活儿’的情景。‘做木工活儿’这类想法太老套，会让女生失去兴趣。拿着工具在车间干活儿的不止有男孩。技术如今有着更加丰富的内涵，我们虽然也开展了一些教育工作，但要吸引女性加入，还需要打破这些学科在人们心目中的固有形象。”

新冠病毒检测试剂和检测追踪系统的发明让我们看到，技术在这次全球防疫中起到了至关重要的作用。沃尔什认为，这凸显了我们急需这样一批人才，他们“思维活跃，善于创造”，“乐于解决问题”，能够胜任工作。

“学生们已经能够看到技术在现实世界中所发挥的作用。这会不会让更多女生投身技术行业，目前还不清楚，要等日后才能见分晓。不过，现在对这类人才的需求超过了以往任何时候。”

学习与工作研究所最近的一项研究显示，由于学习信息技术课程的年轻人越来越少，英国正面临一场迫在眉睫的数字技术危机。研究发现，在数字技术领域，男女比例失衡，信息技术课程A-level新生中仅有17%是女生。还有一件事让人担忧，由于GCSE课程中原先的信息通信技术被逐步取消而代之以计算机科学，选修计算的女孩越来越少了。2019年，學习计算机科学的女生总计17158人，而在2018年，学习信息通信技术的女生有20577人。

学校要怎么做才能吸引女孩加入呢？课外活动颇为重要，比如允许行业专家到学校交流，可新冠疫情让这样的活动难以开展。“现在呢，我们办了个理工科兴趣小组，成员66%是女孩。”沃尔什解释说，“我之前还和曼彻斯特博物馆合作过，让学生们做了个项目，名叫‘龙穴’，推销售卖自己的产品。”

哈里斯学校圣约翰伍德分校位于伦敦西北部的威斯敏斯特，伊丽莎白·英格利希在这所学校教计算机科学。她说，女生数量在稳步增加，但还有很多工作要做。

“有女老师教计算机科学好处可大了。”英格利希解释说，“老话说得好——看到什么样的人，你才能成为什么样的人。很幸运，在我们学校，所有的理工学科都有很多女老师，不过这种情况可能很少见。”

她说，学校也很注重和用人单位保持良好的联系。“谷歌派人到学校和学生们待了一整天。这场活动让学生们非常兴奋，他们能看到自己所学的东西怎么运用到现实生活中。

“我们知道，这就是鼓励选择，跟喜不喜欢无关。事实上，一旦女孩们开始学计算机科学，往往就会爱上它，表现也很出色。”

英格利希想看到的是，女性游戏玩家和优兔（俗称油管）用户的增多也会带动更多女孩选学计算机科学。“这种改变不可能一夜发生。”她说，“但很多孩子，无论男孩还是女孩，都喜欢社交媒体和优兔。有那么一些女孩成为网络游戏大玩家，这就让女孩玩游戏、喜欢计算机也没什么好奇怪的了。成见在改变。现在，成为电脑高手变得更酷了。希望这可以为我们带来更多的女生。”

阿米莉亚·布赖恩特也在哈里斯学校圣约翰伍德分校工作，目前是实习老师，教授艺术、设计与技术课程。她大学学的是时尚技术，毕业后曾在耐克、巴伯尔和凯茜·琦丝敦等公司工作，负责产品开发;2020年3月伦敦因疫情封城，她决定改变从业方向，接受了教师职业培训。

“很多设计技术课程是男老师教的，但培训期间，我发现女性更多些，所以，情况已经发生变化了。”她说，“在工作坊能看到女性设计师，感觉很不错。

“我们有很多女生学习食品和营养，但选修设计技术和工程的女生相对较少，选这些课的三分之二都是男生。这种局面绝对是能改善的。”

她说，有一点很重要，那就是要让女孩从小就对技术充满热情。“我们发现，激发11到13岁女孩的兴趣能产生实实在在的效果，她们更有可能在选择GCSE课程的时候选择技术学科。在这个年龄阶段让她们参加相关的课外兴趣小组是关键。”

最近，学校创办了机器人技术兴趣小组，加入的男女生各占一半。在课外拓展日，所有学生都会参加体验环节。课外拓展日成功激励了更多女孩学习技术。

“对于这些学科，人们往往受到家庭、朋友或更广泛社会文化的影响，仍然持有一些陈旧的成见。”布赖恩特补充道，“我希望越来越多像我这样的女性选择教技术课程，这能让更多女孩走入我们的课堂，改变这个国家未来的技术面貌。”

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 = General Certificate of Secondary Education （英国）中等教育普通证书。

2 = science（科学）+ technology（技术）+ engineering（工程）+ mathematics（数学），是这四门学科英文首字母的缩写，作为理工科的统称。

3 looming迫在眉睫的。  4指General Certificate of Education Advanced Level英国高中课程，是英国学生的大学入学考试课程。

5 adage谚语;格言。

6 geeky科技领域的爱好者或高手。  7英国老牌的服装品牌。  8英国摩登复古风格的生活产品品牌。

9 taster体验。