Google launching $50 million initiative to get more girls interested in computer programming

The Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that there will be a total of 4.2 million jobs in the computer science field by 2020, a field where men currently outnumber women seven to three. Google’s “Made With Code” program seeks to bridge this gender gap by introducing young girls to coding early on, and exciting them about the endless possibilities of what they can accomplish with these skills.

The tech giant has partnered with the nonprofit Girls Who Code, an organization that runs summer coding programs for girls, and The Clinton Foundation, which promotes equal participation of females across all aspects of society. To meet this end, Google has donated $50 million toward providing grants for coding parties for Girl Scouts and Boys and Girls Clubs across the country and launching the resourceful “Made With Code” website. The website, which is branded with female tech icons, provides coding lessons and access to a database of U.S. coding programs, information about local events, as well as communities for discussing lessons and projects with each other or mentors. 

The event was hosted by Mindy Kaling
 
To kick off the website, Google hosted an event in New York City, inviting 150 girls to listen to live music and watch women computer scientists demonstrate how programming skills can be channeled to create a variety of fun things, ranging from animated films to apps and fabrics. The idea is that coding skills permit young women to exercise their skills to explore their passions in new and creative ways. 

“Coding is a new literacy, and it gives people the potential to create, innovate, and quite literally change the world. We've got to show all girls that computer science is an important part of their future and that it's a foundation to pursue their passions, no matter what field they want to enter,” says Susan Wojcicki, YouTube chief executive.
Currently, 70% of Google’s 44,000 employee base is male. Yahoo is slightly ahead with 38% female coders on staff. These figures are not much different than those of early medicine, another field initially male dominated but now significantly more evened out. “Made With Code” seeks to resolve the issue of girls and young women not having any role models in the tech field, nor a clear path to accessing coding resources in the first place.

Via TechTimes, TechCrunch