Survey: Women Closing Computer Gender Gap

L O S   A N G E L E S, Jan. 22, 2001 -- Women are closing the gender gap when it comes to computer use but they still lack confidence in their high-tech abilities, according to a new college survey.

A record 78.5 percent of first-year students said they regularlyused computers before attending college. The figures for women andmen were 77.8 percent and 79.5 percent, respectively.

But women spent far less time on the Internet. They were half aslikely as men to rate their computer skills as above average, andwere five times less likely to pursue careers in computerprogramming — 9.3 percent of men as opposed to 1.8 percent of women— according to the survey conducted by the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles.

“Research has shown that women feel computers and technology isa male domain,” said Linda Sax, the survey’s director. “In a workforce increasingly dependent on technological proficiency, womens’relative lack of computing confidence is likely to place them at adisadvantage.”

The annual survey, made last fall in conjunction with theAmerican Council on Education, was based on responses by 269,413freshmen at 434 colleges and universities nationwide. The data wasstatistically adjusted to represent 1.1 million freshmen enteringfour-year institutions.

The survey found the incoming students of 2000 were more liberalin their politics — more approved of gay rights and opposed thedeath penalty — but less interested than ever in the politicalprocess. Fewer smoked or drank beer but many enjoyed wine andliquor. Reading, playing computer games and praying were notwidespread pastimes.

The freshmen reported getting higher grades in high school butdid less work to earn them. And they cared overwhelmingly aboutmaking money, having a family and helping those in need.The Bottom Line

Money, in fact, was a far greater motivation than other careergoals. Only about 60 percent of freshmen said it was very importantor essential to become an “authority” in their chosen field — anall-time low. A little more than half cited obtaining recognitionfrom colleagues as essential — the lowest figure in 23 years —while only about 37 percent wanted to have “administrativeresponsibility over the work of others.”

Regarding education, only 36 percent of incoming freshmen saidthey spent six or more hours per week studying or doing homeworkduring the previous year — fewer hours than any previous classesdating back to 1987.

Yet nearly 43 percent reported they had “A” averages in highschool, up from 42.7 percent in 1999. About 18 percent of studentsin 1968 said they earned top grades.

More college prep courses and easier grading by high schoolteachers may be stoking the increase, education experts said.

“Considering the high level of grade inflation reached lastyear, we were somewhat surprised to see the trend continue,” saidAlexander Astin, founding director of the survey. “It is difficultto imagine that ‘C’ grades once outnumbered ‘A’ grades, in light ofthe fact that today we see six times as many ‘A’ grades as ‘C’grades.”

About 28 percent of the freshmen surveyed identified themselvesas “liberal” or “far left,” up slightly from 1999 and thefourth increase in a row. The “middle of the road” percentageshrank slightly to 51.9 percent, while those identifying themselvesas “conservative” or “far right” remained fairly constant at20.3 percent.

But only 28.1 percent said they were interested in keeping upwith political affairs — a new record low, beating the 28.6 percentfigure of 1999. The survey’s peak figure of 60.3 percent was in1996.

“I think it reflects the general disinterest in thecandidates,” Sax said, noting that the percentage usually doesn’tdrop during a presidential year. However, she added that the surveywas taken before the disputed November election that may haverekindled political interest.

Survey at a Glance

Other survey results:

Only 48.3 percent of freshmen last fall said they drank beerfrequently or occasionally, down slightly from 1999. The percentageof students who smoked cigarettes dropped from 10.7 percent to 10percent, the second consecutive decline. On the other hand, a bitover half of the students said they drank wine or liquoroccasionally or frequently, up fractionally from 1999.

Sharply more students felt the death penalty should beabolished — 31.2 percent compared to 26.7 percent in 1999.

Fifty-six percent felt that homosexuals should have the rightto legal marriages, the highest percentage since the question wasintroduced on the 1997 survey. Only 27.2 percent felt it wasimportant to have laws barring homosexual relationships.

Nearly 54 percent said abortion should be legal.

Eighty-two percent said the federal government should do moreto control the sale of handguns.

More than a third felt marijuana should be legalized, but morethan three-quarters felt employers should be allowed to requiredrug testing of employees and job applicants.

Nearly 67 percent felt there is too much concern in the courtsfor the rights of criminals.

Attaining financial prosperity remains a goal for incomingfreshmen but so does caring about others. About 73 percent of thosesurveyed said they want to be “very well off financially.” Aboutthe same figure cited raising a family as one of their importantgoals, and nearly 62 percent said they felt it was important forthem to help others who are in difficulty.