ALKHOBAR, 15 May 2007 — While more girls than ever are receiving education in math and science, the numbers of women in the highest positions in science, mathematics and engineering are not showing a dramatic increase. In the past, people often thought that women did not rise to higher positions in these fields due to genetic differences between women and men, but increasingly that theory is being discounted. Instead, now the idea has been put forward that a combination of social, cultural and psychological factors is likely playing a role in keeping women from reaching their full potential in these career paths.
Parents often ask what they can do to enable their daughters to successfully make their way in our modern world. Many girls avoid showing an interest in scientific and technical fields, believing that if they do so, they will be perceived to have masculine tendencies and that this will reduce their chances of a happy marriage and later motherhood. It seems important that parents point out to their daughters examples of the possibilities and it may be essential from social, cultural and psychological perspectives to show girls that technology can embrace their feminine side.
For instance, dolls have long been playthings for girls. Probably the doll with the greatest impact in history, has been Mattel’s Barbie and now Barbie is going high tech. Mattel has unveiled the next generation of fashion doll play with Barbie Girls, a hybrid play experience that blends fashion, music and an online virtual world. Representing in a new way what today’s girl loves and opening the door to how tomorrow’s girl will play, Barbie Girls fuses the best of virtual and real life for a fresh, new experience.
To launch the Barbie Girls concept, Mattel has created www.BarbieGirls.com, the first global, virtual online world designed exclusively for girls. At BarbieGirls.com girls can create their own virtual character, design their own “room,” shop at the mall, play games, hang out, e-mail and chat live with other girls. In July, Barbie Girls will take shape in the real world with a handheld, 4 12-inch portable device that serves as a music player and fashion statement, while also unlocking new content within BarbieGirls.com.
BarbieGirls.com is designed to be a safe place for girls to play and interact online. The site features a three-pronged safety approach that includes:
*Sophisticated word filters to keep chat secure, prevent the exchange of personal information and block inappropriate language.
*Easy-to-use safety features that give a girl the ability to lock or open her room to other characters, the ability to block users and prevent them from contacting her on the site and the ability to report other users for inappropriate behavior.
*Robust moderation tools that provide BarbieGirls.com administrators with the ability to monitor chat that occurs in the environment, track and monitor reported users and ban users who engage in objectionable behavior.
Another online venue that is combining fashion with technology is www.stardoll.com, an online celebrity dress-up and community site targeting teens. Since its inception in 2004, Sweden-based Stardoll.com has gained popularity with girls of all ages in more than 200 countries.
Relying solely on word-of-mouth, the company has built a global membership base that now exceeds 7 million. At Stardoll.com, users can create their own virtual doll to style and interact with or choose from the always-growing collection of celebrity dolls and dress them up in virtual fashions.
Originally named Paperdollheaven.com, Stardoll.com started as a hobby for Scandinavian-born designer Liisa. Inspired by her childhood passion for paper dolls, Liisa drew dolls and accompanying wardrobes, and also taught herself web design. Rapidly, her personal homepage became a destination for teens. In 2004, she upgraded the site with the goal of creating a positive online environment for young girls who are creative and interested in fashion and are looking for alternatives to violent games.
Another woman who has combined technology with her talents is Mignon Fogarty, one of the founders and the host of Grammar Girl (http://grammar.qdnow.com/), part of the QDNow Network. Fogarty has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington in Seattle and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University. She makes her living writing highly technical documents for large biotech companies and health articles for websites. In her free time she produces podcasts including Grammar Girl and the Absolute Science Podcast.
Podcasts are audio programs that listeners download over the Internet and listen to on their computers or MP3 players. Podcasts are free, and although Apple’s iTunes is the most popular place to get podcasts, you don’t need an iPod to use iTunes or to listen to podcasts. When you subscribe to a podcast, the newest episode automatically downloads when you start the program.
The podcast, “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing” has exceeded one million downloads since launching in July 2006. “The show’s extraordinary growth has been fueled entirely by word-of-mouth, which is a testament to our fans’ devotion,” said Fogarty.
Each short, free podcast answers a listener’s question about the English language and integrates humorous examples to create an entertaining experience. “Listeners say they are amazed that grammar can be so much fun,” said Fogarty. Grammar Girl has been an iTunes Top 10 podcast since early October and ranks first in the education category.
So show your daughters that technology can really highlight their feminine side. Advise them that pursuing interests in math, science and engineering can add to, rather than detract from, their value in society. There are plenty of problems in our world and more “pink perspective” might be just what’s needed to help improve life for us all.
