In today's society, one would not be able to imagine life without the presence of a computer. Computers are now integrated into almost every part of one's life: education, businesses, entertainment and communication. In fact, they become so prevalent that children as young as the age of three start using them. With the prominent role of computing present in society, some argue that there is no gender inequality since male and female experience equal computer usage. However, it is difficult to completely deny such inequality for three reasons. This essay will discuss how the inequality is caused by the lack of female role models or mentors, interest in the field of computing and their fear of entering the computing field due to implications caused by the Internet.
To begin with, one of the reasons for the existing gender inequality is due to the fact that there are lesser female figures to look up to in the field of computing. Role models play an important role in attracting people, especially younger children into doing various things. "Girls often do not have the chance to see women in authoritative positions in relation to computers" and "[it] often reflect gender stereotypes, presenting women in subordinate roles where computers are involved" (Bell 2003). Currently, only 27 percent of computer jobs are held by females around the world which shows the small role played by females in the computing field. The lack of the female gender in the computing field naturally indicates a lesser amount of successful females as compared to the successful males like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Even in popular computing related shows such as 'The IT Crowd' and 'Big Bang Theory', they display a male dominated environment. This unconsciously conveys the notion to younger girls that the chances of them emerging victorious in the computing field are slim. As a result, young girls who are not opened to the idea that females in the computing field can also be empowering will inevitably feel inferior in this particular area hence resulting in the gender inequality.