Google doesn’t like the idea that most computer scientists on television shows and in movies are played by white men and is calling on Hollywood to give more of these roles to women and minorities: they say that the current situation fails to inspire underrepresented groups to pursue careers in computer science. Google points to Hyperlinked, a YouTube original series about a group of girls who code a website, as proof that shows can drive female interest in CS careers.



Google says the way computer science is portrayed in popular culture can profoundly shape career choices. The number of female forensic science majors jumped after the debut of the CSI television series as did the number of girls pursuing archery after the release of the movies Hunger Games and Brave. On the flip side, research has pointed to the decline of women enrolling in computer science in the 1980s with the popularity of movies such as War Games and Weird Science, whose coding heroes are young men.

Discussion

Source: [H]ardOCP – Google Thinks There Should Be More Female Computer Scientists on TV