Is programming a man’s world?
If you are one of those who think programming is something only men do, what you are about to read could seriously hurt your pride. Be aware, because at TravelgateX not only do we know that programming is not an exclusively male skill, we also have the honor to count on excellent female programmers on staff, and we learn from them every day.
With them, because of them and for all the girls who are dreaming of a career in the world of programming – with this post we want to disprove the false myths surrounding programming and stereotypes. On the 8th of February we support the beginners’ workshop that the non-profit organization Django Girls organises on Mallorca.
Invisible code
This kind of event is essential to be able to look to the future from an equality perspective and in order to change the reality of today. Looking at figures from the Spanish state, only 13 women per 100 men have programmed as their profession, and only 18 women per 100 men specialize in databases and computer networks.
Is it genetic? Physical? Psychological? NO. It is a matter of history, visibility, and education.
This is clearly stated in a study made by the European Commission, called Women in the Digital Age:
“Data trends and qualitative analysis suggest that gender inequality in the digital sphere is essentially a result of the persistence of strong unconscious biases about what is appropriate and what capacities each gender has, as well as about the technologies themselves. They need a fundamental cultural change.”
Reports from the World Economic Forum even indicate that women are considered better programmers than men, as long as their gender is not disclosed. This shows that there are tremendous cultural obstacles in this regard, not only in Spain but throughout the world.
In fact, history proves it. A thorough investigation will lead you to key names in the world of programming and they are not exactly male:
- Margaret Hamilton: director of software engineering for the project that wrote the code for the Apollo Computer Guide.
- Grace Murray Hopper: one of the first to develop accessible programming languages based on English.
- Joan Clarke: Alan Turing’s partner in the project developing the first computers used to decipher German encryptions.
- ENIAC: a group of women who developed the first programmable electronic computer during World War II.
They might not have been aware of it, but they were all Django Girls. And their work was a billion times more complicated than what we do today.
How to become a Django Girl
To attend the event on February 8 at the UIB you have to register on the website www.djangogirls.org/mallorca/ and you do not have to know anything about programming. But you do have to bring your own laptop and you will have to install Django (they will help you there).
The programming language you will work with is Python, used in different fields such as web development, data processing and user interface development. Websites like Instagram, Pinterest, NASA and the Washington Post use this language.
As sponsors of the event for the second consecutive year our team of programmers will be there, but we will also make sure there is no lack of coffee, tea and things for you to nibble on.