Women currently make up more than half of the workforce, but this is not true for women working in IT. Women obtain only 28% of university degrees in computer science (Cech). Even half a century after the Civil Rights Act, women and minorities continue to earn less than white men in the workforce. Adding more women to computer science would add creativity and new ideas to the field, but the percentage of women entering and current in the field is extremely low compared to men. The factors that push women away from IT begin both in the early years of education and continue into adult and working life. Women do not study computer science because they do not receive enough encouragement from their teachers, schools and work, and in these contexts there is a strong gender bias. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The biggest question now is how to attract more women into the computer science field. Women need more encouragement, especially from teachers of both sexes and fellow students. Mentoring is a precise means to attract and retain the women most interested in the sector. Even just the support of other women in class can help increase mutual trust. Numerous studies have shown that the lack of women in computer science most likely begins before college (Cohoon). They need this encouragement not only during college courses, but also in the early stages of their education. Women tend to be as interested in science as men when they are young, but their teachers and schools, who would have the greatest influence on them, are not doing their job in cultivating and identifying these women (Gurian). A possible solution to improve their confidence would be to have more mentors who can help attract and maintain women's interest in the industry. The shortage of women in the IT field has made it more difficult for them to occupy high positions. This makes it important for women in high positions to be mentors for all interested women. According to Joanne Cohoon, a professor at the University of Virginia, “computer science departments generally retained women at rates comparable to men when the faculty included at least one woman; mentored and supervised female students; I enjoyed teaching; and shared responsibility for success with their students.” It was also found that departments without female faculty lost female students at higher rates than male students (Cohoon). Seeing other women doing computer science can definitely increase women's confidence in continuing or starting to study the subject. “In a new survey, 40% of women in STEM fields… report being discouraged in their career choices, typically in college and often by their professors” (Downey). This data shows how we need more mentors willing to support women and that there is a lack of teachers to help inspire young women to enter this field. Since the beginning of computing, most software and programs have been geared towards men. Video games were originally aimed at men with sports and violent themes with predominantly male main characters and limiting female roles such as women who need saving (Lynn). Early experiences with computers are important in shaping someone's willingness to explore technology. "Playing games with computers, consoles, arcade games and itemsteaching can provide an introduction to computer literacy, building familiarity and building confidence in skills" (Lynn, 145). Because computing is so male-dominated, software tends to be more suited to men. To make the software more appealing to girls, should have low levels of frustration, be challenging and be interactive (Lynn) By having more women in the field, women can create software that is much more girl-friendly , instead of destroying them (Lynn). Recently, more and more games have been produced that are more suitable for girls, such as simulation games. The Sims is a video game where you create humans, animals and houses and has proved to be a great success among the public feminine One strategy to get more women to break away from the stereotype that women are less competitive than men would be to take games designed for boys and require comparable female characters to allow them to be more competitive and assertive. Video games often become involved in computing as a byproduct of the desire to master games (Lynn). Many boys tend to have more experience with computers at a young age thanks to video games, when boys and girls are put together in a class to learn computers the boys are already at a higher level, which is not encouraging for women starting out a lower level in the same class. Making more computer science classes mandatory at both the high school and college levels will not only help women due to the growing number of other peers, but can spark interest in women early by helping teachers identify students with aptitude. Another way to help women stay in the field would be to have different levels of computer classes so that women or anyone who doesn't have a lot of experience in the field doesn't feel intimidated in a class full of people who have already had experience with computers. . At Gonzaga University there is a course called “Information to Technology”. This course is not considered a computer science course but rather an introduction to technology. You learn the basics; from the parts of a computer, from understanding programs like Excel to understanding and reading binary code. If lessons like this were encouraged in both high schools and colleges, all students would gain a basic understanding of technology and may even encourage them to pursue careers in technology. There is a specific stereotype that the hacker or gamer is male. The fact that this stereotype exists can cause women to feel less comfortable with computers. Starting from elementary school, much importance was given to the fact that boys were better at mathematics and science than girls. This leads to women being excluded from math and science early and leads to their lack of encouragement in classes with higher achieving males (Marder). “Women could certainly study the art of healing and be doctors as well as nurses” (Wollstonecraft, 664). Women stereotypically follow certain career paths, whether they want to be a healer, study beauty or a receptionist. The United States is much different today than it once was, but there is a strong presence of women in some fields, keeping these stereotypes in mind. Another possible reason why women do not pursue a career in information technology is because women generally look for a career that allows them to work with other people and has flexible hours while men look for a career that allows them to earn a lot money (Marder). The starting salary for a specialization in..