It's all geek to me: Women move in on boys' toys

Every so often a group of self-proclaimed geeks meet to discuss technology and computing over a light dinner and a glass of wine, and listen to talks from pioneers in digital business and innovation.

There's nothing so unusual in that you might think – except that this crowd of tech-savvy, computer-mad individuals is made-up almost entirely of women. Welcome to the world of the girl geeks.

Science and technology have traditionally been seen as the domain of male boffins, but now a growing number of women, passionate and knowledgeable about these areas, are standing up to be counted.

The Leeds branch of Girl Geek Dinners held its first event in August last year, attracting 60 women, and since then attendances have grown with guest speakers who have included leading female experts in social media, web development and programming.

Co-founder Dr Mariann Hardey, 28, of the University of York, is a social media analyst and regular contributor to the influential blog GirlyGeekdom.

"Girl Geek Dinners are open, informal and friendly," she says, "and are uniting lots of women who are self-confessed geeks. They are fun and interesting social events, and you get to meet other people who are passionate about the same things. You can talk about computers and the latest gadgets and listen to interesting speakers, and the people there range from young students to established industry names.

"I feel inspired by it. It's not seen as cool to be geeky but I'm proud to be a girl geek."

Girl Geek Dinners was founded in London in 2005 by technology enthusiast Sarah Blow, who was frustrated at the male-dominance of technical events.

She was tired of being assumed to be in marketing, tired of constantly having to prove herself and decided that she just wanted a change and to be treated just the same as any other geek out there, gender and age aside.

She also set up a popular blog, www.girlygeekdom. com, for women in technology.

There are now about 40 Girl Geek Dinner branches worldwide, including seven in the UK (including ones in Leeds and Hull) with others as far away as Canada, Australia, the United States and Malaysia.

The Leeds branch has been a huge success and has just been awarded a 10,000 grant from Bradford-based UKRC, a Government organisation working to boost the representation of women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), where they remain severely under-represented in academic institutions and industry.

It is, believes Dr Hardey, very much a cultural issue.

"When I was young I was never encouraged to study IT at school.

"Traditionally we still have 'masculine' subjects and 'feminine' subjects, and computing is still seen as being the former. I think boys have been encouraged to use computers more.

"There also aren't many prominent women in the technology industry to act as role models for girls. I went to a conference in San Francisco recently and I stuck out like a sore thumb – I saw about two other women there!"

A survey commissioned by Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the Blackberry smartphone – found that only a quarter of girls have considered a career in technology compared to more than half of boys.

It also showed that over two-thirds of girls aged 11 to 16 believe that the UK lacks smart female role models in the technology industry.

But there is also evidence that the situation is changing.

Dr Hardey, who writes a tongue-in-cheek blog on Facebook etiquette, believes that more and more women are embracing technology as it becomes part of their everyday lives.

"We all have mobile phones and most of us use the internet so we all have geeky aspects to our lives, whether it's using a store card or having a Facebook account.

"There's been a cultural shift with many more women getting passionate about technology and computing. Many new technologies have taken on a social significance, and one argument is that technology has become more feminised.

" You could say that social networking sites are all about communication and emotional attachment – which are seen as traditional feminine qualities – and this is driving a surge in interest among women.

"I'm not sure I entirely agree, but I think there's some truth in that."

One sector seeing growing involvement from women is the video games industry. About half of Nintendo gamers are women, and figures suggest that as much as 71 per cent of the UK's female population now play computer games.

Experts predict that increased involvement of women as consumers will fuel female interest in the development and design of games, leading to many more women seeking employment in the sector.

"We are starting to see more women playing video games and that can only be a good thing," agrees Dr Hardey.

"My own enthusiasm for technology was fuelled by having fun with it, particularly by playing computer games as a girl.

"That's key to it all. Women may start to think: 'I'm enjoying this, how can I get involved?' Games used to be made by boys for boys, but for the first time women are creating games that appeal to both men and women."

With growing enthusiasm among women and the continued success of projects such as Girl Geek Dinners in Leeds, women are certainly set to play a much bigger role in science and technology as the 21st century rolls on.

"I'm hoping for greater visibility of prominent women in the technology industry," says Dr Hardey, "and I think that our dinners can help to create a level playing field for all geeks!"

For more information on Leeds Girl Geek Dinners and for details of upcoming events, visit www. leedsgirlgeekdinners.com

Heroines behind hi-tech world

Although the rise of the Girl Geek may be a relatively recent, the world's first computer programmer was a woman.

Lord Byron's daughter Ada Lovelace was born in 1815 and her friendship with Charles Babbage led her to work on his mechanical computing devices, the difference engine and analytical engine. Although he never completed them, she worked out the first mathematical principles of computing and the modern computer language Ada was named after her.

In the modern age, American Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper was the driving force behind the development of the first electronic computers and her ideas were so crucial the US named a destroyer after her.

Despite this women have continually remained under-represented in science, engineering and technology, so much so that the UK Resource Centre for Women was set up in 2004 in Bradford.

The UKRC is the Government's lead organisation for the provision of advice, services and policy consultation for women in science, engineering, technology and the built environment (SET).

It works with employers; professional bodies; education institutions; women's organisations and networks; policy institutes; sector skills councils; the government and many others to promote gender equality through SET.

The UKRC is led by a partnership including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the Open University, Sheffield Hallam University, Queen Mary University of London, with Bradford College as the lead partner.