"Code Like a Girl Act," a bi-partisan bill put forward by Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R, New York, aims to give girls interested in technology careers a boost.
The bill also has also has the support of Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
“Despite the progress we’ve made, fewer than one in five computer science graduates are women,” Rosen said in a statement.
The gap, she added, is depriving the country talent that could that could help solve some of the worrld’most challenging problems, she added
Rosen said it's important to get more women participating in STEM workforce.– science, technology, engineering and math.
“Given the ever increasing importance of computer science in today’s economy, it’s critical we find ways to break down barriers and level the playing field for women everywhere,” Rosen said in a statement.
The bill would establish two National Science Foundation grant programs to research how to better get girls aged 10 and younger to explore computer science in the classroom.
According to the Commerce Department, women only make up 24 percent of the STEM workforce. Boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to take computer science classes from kindergarten through grade 12.
The bill calls for creating two National Foundation grants to research and fund computer programs that encourage early childhood education for girls under the age of 10.
It has the support from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women.
“This research holds potential to address the long-standing issue of underrepresentation of women in computing and complements the efforts of the many organizations that focus on high school and post-secondary women,” said Jodi Tims, who cairs the Council.
