Yes, girls are outperforming boys in high schools and college, but all is not perfect. Boys still dominate computer classes and, later, occupy most of the programming jobs in tech industry. According to Nitasha Tiku in the New York Times, the numbers are grim.

Last year, girls made up 18.5 percent of A.P. computer science test-takers nationwide, a slight decrease from the year before. In three states, no girls took the test at all. An abysmal 0.4 percent of girls entering college intend to major in computer science. And in 2013, women made up 14 percent of all computer science graduates — down from 36 percent in 1984.

The imbalance persists in the tech industry. Just this week, Google released data showing that women account for just 17 percent of its tech employees. The problem is not only getting girls to computer class, but keeping them there.

Tiku gives a shout out to my favorite computer game, Minecraft. She points out that girls are starting to play Minecraft, too, and this might be gateway program for other technology programs. I’m going to teach Ian how to use  Scratch over this summer. This easy program might appeal to girls, too.

Girls might be avoiding computer classes, not just because there are boys in these classes, but because there are really nerdy boys in these classes. And some of them have been coding at home since they were ten. It’s intimidating to go into these classes as a complete novice. Even for the less nerdy boys.