Rosen Introduces "Code Like a Girl Act," A Bipartisan Bill to Encourage Young Girls to Pursue a Career in Computing

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 3316, the "Code Like A Girl Act," a bipartisan bill to encourage young girls under the age of 10 to explore careers in computer science.

"When I started my career as a computer programmer, I was one of very few women in a male-dominated industry," said Congresswoman Rosen. "Despite the progress we've made, fewer than 1 in 5 computer science graduates are women. This disparity is depriving our country of talented minds that could be working on our most challenging problems. 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."

"The Association for Computing Machinery's Council on Women applauds Rep. Jacky Rosen and supports her proposed legislation to provide funding for critical research in computing education for young girls," said ACM-W Chair Jodi Tims. "This research holds potential to address the long-standing issue of the underrepresentation of women in computing and complements the efforts of the many organizations that focus on high school and post-secondary women. We hope to see this legislation get bipartisan support in Congress."

BACKGROUND: According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce, women make up only 24% of the STEM workforce despite making up half the workforce in the U.S. This disparity can be traced back to K-12 education, where boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to take a computer science course and nearly three times as likely to take an engineering course.

H.R. 3316 creates two National Science Foundation grants to research and fund computer science programs that encourage early childhood education in STEM for girls under the age of 10. "Code Like A Girl Act" is a bipartisan bill co-led by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and supported by Space, Science and Tech Committee Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). This bill is also endorsed by the Association for Computing Machinery's Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W), which supports and advocates for the full engagement of women in all aspects of computer science.

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