Girls in Robotics: Empowering Girls Early to Support Long-Term Equity

Contributed by Amanda Sullivan Senior Program Developer at NGCP.(she/her)

Long gone are the days when robots were considered science fiction. Today, incredible technological breakthroughs in robotics have helped automate human tasks, revolutionized workplaces, and boosted productivity in countless industries. While workplace robots are often negatively associated with pushing human workers out of their jobs, robots and related technologies (like artificial intelligence) are also helping humans with many tasks, including improving the safety of workers by performing high-risk jobs like lifting heavy things, collecting radioactive waste, and working in contaminated environments.???

Robotics is a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field that is a branch of engineering and computer science involving the conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots. So where do women show up in these important fields? According to the National Girls Collaborative Project’s most recent State of Girls and Women in STEM report, women earn only 24% of bachelor’s degrees in engineering and 21% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science. In the STEM workforce, women make up only 16% of engineers and 26% of computer scientists. ?

These numbers are staggering, especially considering how rapidly robotics and similar tech industries are growing. According to statistics published by Zion Market Research, the industrial robotics market is projected to reach $81.4 billion by 2028 (an increase from a valuation of $41.7 billion in 2021). Not only are women missing out on potentially rewarding and lucrative careers in these fast-growing fields, but the lack of women in technical fields also leads to other ethical issues. When women are excluded from the fields that drive the design and creation of technical innovations that we all rely on, the result is rampant biases in product design such as smartphones that don’t fit women’s hands as well as men’s hands, and cars and crash test dummies designed and modeled after men, leaving women 73% more likely to be injured in an automotive accident.??

The bottom line: We NEED women’s voices (and diverse voices in all senses) in these fast-growing technological fields. And part of the solution may start earlier than you think.??

Why Early Exposure Matters?

As a researcher and educator who focuses on edtech and early childhood development, I firmly believe that positive early experiences with STEM are important. Young children in preschool and early elementary school are naturally curious about the world around them. This is the perfect time to teach them about their human-engineered environment and pique their interest in STEM fields like robotics and coding. My research has demonstrated that children as young as 3-years-old can successfully build and program simple robots while learning foundational engineering and robotics concepts in the process. Robotics kits also allow children to develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while also engaging in collaboration and discussion with peers. My past research has even shown that programming robots can significantly increase children’s sequencing ability (i.e., the ability to put events or actions in the right order), a foundational pre-math and pre-literacy skill.? All these experiences may be especially crucial for girls who typically get less experience with building, coding, and tinkering in their childhoods than boys. Research conducted by the LEGO Group and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2021 indicated that parents still more frequently encourage sons to do STEM activities, including using STEM-themed toys, than daughters.?

It is critical to reach young girls during their foundational early childhood years to counter (or better yet, prevent) stereotypes and encourage equal opportunities to pursue STEM (learn more in my book Breaking the STEM Stereotype: Reaching Girls in Early Childhood). Basic stereotypes begin to develop in children around 2 to 3 years of age. As children grow older, stereotypes about sports, occupations, and adult roles expand, and their gender associations become more sophisticated. Negative stereotypes toward math and science can develop in girls starting in elementary school. Recent research has shown that stereotypes about girls’ interest in computer science and engineering are formed as early as age 6 and are evident across multiple ages from childhood through adolescence.??

During my doctoral studies with the DevTech Research Group, I wanted to help create engineering and coding tools that were fun and playful for all young children, while also holding a special potential to reach girls. I worked on the development of the KIBO Robotics Kit, a screen-free and gender-neutral robotics kit designed for young learners in pre-k through early elementary school. In my research during that time, I found that implementing a KIBO robotics curriculum that focused on collaboration and helping (students created “Helpful Robots” to improve their school community) was an effective way to increase early elementary girls’ interest in engineering. In the years that followed, I also found that integrating the arts, literature, music, and movement with robotics had the potential to reach many young children who did not already identify with STEM.??

Three Ways YOU Can Make a Difference?

Whether you are an educator, caregiver, parent, or connect with youth in some other capacity, you have the power to counter stereotypes and inspire girls in STEM. Here are three ways to get started:?

1. Introduce Hands-On Coding and Engineering Early - Don't wait to expose girls to coding and engineering! Robotics kits designed for young learners are the perfect introduction to building, design, coding, and more (get some ideas for specific products here). For no or low-cost options, consider exploring unplugged activities to explore computer science, reading picture books that introduce engineering and coding concepts, and using free coding apps for young children like ScratchJr. Find free curriculum and other research-based resources here.??
2. Expose Girls to Role Models - Introducing girls to role models through books, media, in-person and online experiences can help break stereotypes about who can and should pursue STEM. Find role modeling and mentoring resources here. Find a list of notable women in robotics (updated annually) here.??
3. Foster a Growth Mindset - Personal views about intelligence and failure can impact girls’ achievement and long-term persistence in rigorous STEM fields. Encouraging a “growth mindset” in girls or the belief that intelligence is not fixed, but instead can change and grow incrementally through practice and hard work, can help counter the stereotype that some people are just “naturally” gifted at math and science. You can simplify this concept by telling young children the brain is like a muscle that can get stronger with more hard work and practice.?

Amanda is the author of the book Breaking the STEM Stereotype: Reaching Girls in Early Childhood and co-author of the ScratchJr Coding Cards: Creative Coding Activities for Children 5 and older.? Amanda has a Master’s and Ph.D. in Child Development from Tufts University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology & Drama from Bennington College.???        

?Learn More and Take Action?

Check out the resources below to learn more about selecting robotics kits and other learning technologies for girls, read research on the benefits of early exposure to robotics, and learn about strategies for countering stereotypes and encouraging girls in STEM. Together, we can make a difference!??

Choosing Robotics Kits:?

• NGCP Blog Post: Choosing Toys to Break STEM Stereotypes?
• Playful STEAM short video: Five Screen-Free Robots for Learning to Code in Early Childhood?
• THE Journal Blog Post: STEM Tools, Games, and Products to Engage Girls in Pre-K through Early Elementary School?

Books:?

• Bers, M. (2020). Coding as a Playground: Programming and Computational Thinking in the Early Childhood Classroom, Second Edition. New York, NY: Routledge Press.?
• Bers, M. U. (2008). Blocks to Robots: Learning with Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.??
• Sullivan, A. (2019). Breaking the STEM Stereotype: Reaching Girls in Early Childhood. Rowman & Littlefield.??

Research:??

• Master, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Cheryan, S. (2021). Gender stereotypes about interests start early and cause gender disparities in computer science and engineering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(48), e2100030118.?
• Sullivan, A. (2021). Supporting girls' computational thinking skillsets: Why early exposure is critical to success. In Teaching Computational Thinking and Coding to Young Children (pp. 216-235). IGI Global?
• Sullivan, A. & Bers, M.U. (2018). Investigating the use of robotics to increase girls' interest in engineering during early elementary school. International Journal of Technology and Design Education.?
• Sullivan, A., & Bers, M. U. (2016). Robotics in the early childhood classroom: Learning outcomes from an 8-week robotics curriculum in pre-kindergarten through second grade. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 26, 3-20.?

?Blog Posts:?

• NGCP Blog Post: Five Ways to Counter STEM Stereotypes in Children and Youth?

• Education Week Blog Post: Breaking Gender Stereotypes Through Early Exposure to Robotics?

?Webinars:?

• NGCP Webinar: Addressing STEM Stereotypes with Young Children?
• Wonder Workshop Webinar: Inspiring STEM Learning for Young Girls: Tips from Research and the Classroom?

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