Does Jane Compute?: Preserving Our Daughters' Place in the Cyber Revolution (Paperback)

by Roberta Furger (Author) "When Suzy K. was in elementary school, she and her best friend both had Apple II GS computers..." (more)
Key Phrases: Top Gun, World Wide Web, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Although "my child's education" is the reason most often given by parents for purchasing a home computer, girls aren't necessarily getting the same level of encouragement and experience in computer literacy, says Roberta Furger, a columnist and contributing editor at PC World. She backs this up with disturbing statistics regarding the gender gap in computer education for kids. While almost 65 percent of all jobs require computer and Internet skills, only 16 percent of the kids online are girls. This book not only describes the problem of gender inequity in computer education but it offers many strategies and ideas to help correct that problem.

As Furger sees it, although there have been great steps forward in women's education, many girls have been left feeling uncomfortable with computers. The pattern is similar to the ways in which they are dissuaded, subtly or overtly, from pursuing math, science, and sports. This contributes to women lagging behind in the job market. To figure our how to break this cycle, Furger looks at both computer education and recreation for girls. She then makes recommendations on how to make meaningful changes.

The book is divided into two main sections. The first half is "Jane@Home," which looks at how girls relate to computers in the family context. One comment Furger says she hears a lot from girls is that they have to compete with brothers who get the lion's share of family computing time. Another problem is the lack of software designed to gain a girl's interest and even harassment in male-dominated forums. The second part of the book, "Jane@School," demonstrates how even in the most wired schools, girls can get the short end of the stick in terms of computer access and encouragement to pursue computer-related careers.

Throughout the book, Furger shares the stories of dozens of girls who are representative of her research into the impact of technology on children. While she does not spare her readers the serious consequences of this gender gap, Furger's account of girls who are making headway in computing, and the parents and teachers who are helping them, presents a more hopeful, positive model. --Elizabeth Lewis

From Library Journal
The term computer nerd has a male connotation because it isn't acceptable for girls to be computer experts, notes the author. Consequently, many girls are growing up with insecurities about their computer skills, and there is a shortage of women entering the field of computer science. Furger, a contributing editor for PC World and an expert in the field of children's software, interviewed girls, parents, and teachers to develop strategies for helping girls have equal access to technology. She found that societal bias is pervasive and that change requires conscious action: mother-daughter computer workshops, games designed for girls, girls-only computer clubs, wired schools, and teacher in-service. The resource list provided here includes girl-friendly online sites and age-appropriate software, computer camps, and professional organizations that support women and computers. Highly recommended for teacher in-service and for public and academic libraries.?Laverna Saunders, Salem State Coll. Lib., Mass.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446673110
• ISBN-13: 978-0446673112
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,372,820 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great reminder of gender differences in the computer world, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

Does Jane Compute: Preserving our Daughters Place in the Cyber Revolution by Roberta Furger is an excellent book that not only points out how little girls use the computer as opposed to boys, it also suggests what should be done in order to change the existing situation. This book is primarily directed toward the parents and teachers. Furger attempts to raise awareness of potential problems that could arise if the girls are not trained in time to use the computer. Girls are put to tremendous disadvantage in every aspect of their future lives and careers if they, as early as in elementary school, do not accept a computer as both necessary and interesting part of their lives. Today, most girls are simply not interested in computers.

The root of this problem should be sought, Furger says, at home. Parents tend to "discourage" girls from using the computer. Many girls have brothers who use the computer almost all the time thus denying their sisters the access, and parents, in most cases, do not even notice this. Furthermore, in those families who have no computer, boys always somehow "manage to figure out a way to gain access." Unlike boys who think of a computer as a toy, girls regard the computer as a tool. Also, girls are more afraid to explore; they are afraid something will go wrong if they push the wrong button.

"Girls frequently cite their mother as the most influential person in their lives," Furger writes. This is another very good point she brings out. Many girls, in their childhood, tend to identify with their mother, and what happens is, since they see their mother behind the computer only on rare occasions, when there is a specific task to be done, they develop the same approach toward the computer. Also, in schools, teachers mostly don't notice the girls' disinterest and boys' enthusiasm when the project or anything else is to be done on the computer.

Not only at home are girls presented with the picture that the computers are part of the guys' world, the computer games market is giving out the same message. Until recently, there was no games designed specifically for the girls at all.

Furger then gives a thorough analysis of a number of attempts of different schools, and other organizations throughout the country, to spark girls' interest in computers. Most of these attempts were successful and instructors realized that girls do show an interest in computers, only they are interested in different things. She also interviewed a number of girls who like to browse the Internet, who regularly participate in chat rooms, and who created their own web pages. As it turns out, girls too are eager to surf the net and create all those cool presentations on the computer, they just needed somebody to introduce them to all these things.

Overall, this is a very insightful and enlightening book. Furger recognized the potential problem that lies in the fact that the computer science is still predominantly male oriented. However, there are more and more girls who are becoming interested in computers as well and would like to pursue the career in computer science. Using simple and direct language, Furger tells us what should we do in order to prevent the stressful situations that surely await these girls if they enter the college with non-sufficient computer skills.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solutions to the problem of not enough female comp interest, January 26, 1998

By A Customer

As a female CS major and a life-long computer person, I have to say that this book describes the struggles and confusion that I have been going through my entire life as a woman in a male domnated hobby/major/career. It offers suggestions and solutions to why there aren't very many female computer users and game players. It celebrates the girls/women that are weathering the storm and making a difference in the computer world. Very well written and throughly entertaining.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Startling Account of Gender Inequity @ Home and @ School, March 20, 2000

By	jlwst82 (Port Allegany, PA) - See all my reviews

While one half of the children in the United States are encouraged to explore the technical aspect of life, the other half--young women--are led away from these activities. Does Jane Compute: Preserving Our Daughters' Place in the Cyber Revolution, written by Roberta Furger, is an extraordinary book that takes a descriptive journey into the gender inequity phenomenon surrounding girls and computers. Interviewing and observing hundreds of girls, Furger uncovers the disturbing consequence of society's rules that are unwritten, yet very powerful. At a young age, girls are subtely pushed away from computers, just as they are with math and science, while boys master and claim these subjects as their own. As Furger discovers the many obstacles that are holding these young women back, she suggests twice as many solutions for parents and the rest of society. To take a closer look into these obstacles, Ferger goes into the homes and schools of these young women. "Jane @ Home" emphasizes the gender inequity alive in homes. With 40% of today's homes equipped with computers, Furger demonstrates how boys see their PC as a "toy", while girls on the other hand view it as a "tool". Boys immerse themselves in both the hardware and software--playing popular games and tinkering. Girls use the computer for completing school work, e-mail, and occasionally games. They spend very little time on it and quickly log off. Boys are characterized as the prominent users, investing numerous hours exploring new terrain. Furger explains that these gender problems are created by what parents say or do. The child is socialized to think that, just like the VCR, the computer is a technological device that can only be operated or repaired by a father/man. "Jane @ School" illustrates male dominance in the fields of math and science--especially computer science where boys are pushed to better themselves. Furger shows this similar trend exists in the different worlds of school: "boys in action, the other of girls inaction". Additionally Furger demonstrates how these inequalities are changing. Today more and more parents and faculty are taking steps to correct it. In the homes, parents should/are instilling confidence, encouragement, and open doors into their daughters' interests. They are providing positive role models, illustrating women can be as technical as men. In schools, clubs are being organized to facilitate more confidence, computer knowledge, and experience in these young women. As Furger concludes her book, she strongly emphasizes the goal of her book--the need to answer the question, "Does Jane Compute" with a "resounding, unequivocal, enthusiastic yes".