'Geeky and not for girls': Technology's big image problem

We need to mend the mental disconnect between the tech we use every day and the tech that gets ignored as a career option
Children at school, in assembly
Education plays a crucial role in the perception of technology as an appealing career for girls as well as boys. Photograph: Alamy

We have a small but growing number of female shining stars in leadership roles in innovation and technology. Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and Marissa Mayer of Yahoo are two great examples. What we can't lose sight of, though, is that success stories don't happen overnight and the next generation of future female business leaders needs to be nurtured and supported.

I often speak at girls' schools about careers in tech, and it quickly becomes apparent that a perception gap exists between engagement and enjoyment of technology and the notion of the industry as a viable career option. In short, girls think tech is for boys.

"Raise your hand if you want to work in technology," I ask students. Predictably, but sadly, no hands go up. But when I ask girls to raise their hands if they like Facebook, every arm in the room reaches for the sky. The "geeky" label is still attached to technology in schools, so it's little wonder that students can be indifferent to the subject: it's not presented in a way that's appealing.

There needs to be a greater focus on showing what technology allows you to do: cross geographical boundaries; make stuff; unleash your creative side; talk to friends; and share your latest musical creation. Compared with the kind of technology career that was available when I was growing up, it's almost limitless.

A recent debate in the House of Commons highlighted that the small number of girls enrolled in ICT courses has not increased in three decades. This is having a knock-on effect in the working world. Between 2001 and 2011, the percentage of tech jobs held by women declined by nearly a quarter to just 17% overall.

The key to solving this problem is encouraging men and women to work in partnership more closely, because at the minute, they're not. The UK is missing out on the valuable experience and representation of women and men are missing out on this input too.

Education has a big role to play in helping to shift perceptions. Technology, so often seen as geeky, allows you to share, collaborate and create. Young people recognise this, but we need to work harder to dissolve old stereotypes about the industry.

We also need to work to get girls (and boys!) thinking differently about how they work together, rather than being instilled from an early age with an "us against them" or "science against humanities" attitude. Working in partnership produces some exciting results. Companies like Eventbrite, run by husband and wife team Julia and Kevin Hartz, or iRobot, founded by Rod Brookes, Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, demonstrate this. What we're missing is a good stock of role models to show how this is possible. Perhaps especially so for boys.

We're now in an era that offers women more opportunity to get involved in technology than ever before, but it's also a time of shifting perceptions. It's great to see the Sandbergs and Mayers of the world make it to the top tier of tech, but we need to see more women in this position. Women don't have to be the homemakers and men don't have to be the breadwinners. Let's have some fun with less restrictive roles and see what happens.

Wendy Tan White is co-founder and CEO of Moonfruit and was female UK Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011
