Why do girls need Operation SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology)?

Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta Operation SMART (Science, Math and Relevant Technology) In January 2005, great controversy erupted from comments made by Harvard President, Lawrence Summers, at a conference coordinated by the National Bureau for Economic Research. According to Slate magazine author, Meghan O’Rourke, Summer’s comments portrayed the following message:

"Women constitute approximately 20 percent of science and engineering departments nationwide and hold few senior positions. The possible explanations are either sociocultural or genetic, or both. Summers allegedly offered these three reasons as explanation: 1) Women want to have children, and as a result they don’t put in the 80-hour work week that would make them competitive with their male peers; 2) the innate differences between men and women lead men to outperform women at the top end; 3) discrimination discourages women form pursuing science and engineering past their undergraduate education.”

We at Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta disagree with two of Summer’s theories for the lack of female representation in the fields of science, math and technology, but agree that “discrimination discourages women form pursuing science and engineering past their undergraduate education.” From an early age, girls pick up on the subtle message that science, math and technology are “male” in nature. Girls Incorporated dispels that myth, while getting girls excited about learning and perusing careers in these typically male dominated fields.

The Statistics

Girls and young women are less likely than boys and young men to agree with the statements “I like mathematics” and “I like science.” In a national survey:

Special Thanks to our Operation SMART Sponsors

• 40% of girls and 31% of boys said that math is their least favorite subject;
• 21% of girls and 17% of boys said that science is their least favorite subject.

In 2003, three-fourths of the SAT takers wanting to major in computer science and engineering were young men. Sixteen percent of young women intended to major in computer science and 18% intended to major in engineering.

Overall, women are less likely than men to intend to pursue a science or engineering degree.

7% of teenaged girls intend to work in science, engineering, and technology (compared to 17% of boys); 49% intend to work in “other” professions including law and medicine (compared to 25% of boys); and 9% intend to work in business (compared to 15% of boys).

Girls rated themselves significantly lower than boys on working with numbers, making decisions and solving problems.

A study conducted by the American Association of University Women found that girls are not attracted to video/computer games at the same rate as boys; the authors suggest that fewer girls than boys may be introduced to computers at an early age.

In 2002, 16% of young people who took advanced placement exams for Computer Science A were girls (84% boys); 10% of Computer Science AB takers were girls (90% boys).

Among those taking the SAT, more young women (60%) than young men (40%) had no computer coursework or experience in high school. Additionally, more than three-fourths of the SAT takers intending to major in computer science in college were young men.

Operation SMART

Created in 1985, the Operation SMART program was designed to help bridge the gender gap in the fields of science, math and relevant technology. The idea behind the program is to energize and excite girls about these areas of study, while showing them how relative these fields are to every day life. Girls learn to recognize technology, math and science at work in day-to-day life, removing some of the anxiety behind studying these subjects.

In addition, a “girls only” atmosphere allows girls to participate in these types of experiments and programming in a way that encourages their interests, allows them to make and learn from mistakes and helps them to get past the “yuk” factor. In a typical class environment, boys are expected to succeed in math, science and engineering, while girls are not. In the girl-friendly environment of Operation SMART, young women are encouraged and expected to succeed.

A preliminary program evaluation reveals that the more a girl participates in Operation SMART, the more favorable her attitude toward studying science and math. Girls told evaluators that, as a direct result of participation in Operation SMART, they would use science and math as adults.

Girls who attend Girls Inc. Operation SMART sessions demonstrated increased confidence, competence, and comfort in science, math and technology.

Studies at the Minneapolis YWCA and at Girls Inc. of Rapid City suggest that participation in Operation SMART lessens girls’ stereotyped views of scientists and whether men or women should have certain jobs.