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Instead, women like Joan Korenman, director of the Center
for Women and Information Technology (CWIT) at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, regularly use
the Internet and technology to improve many aspects of their
lives.
Beginning in 1990, Korenman, who was teaching English and
Women's Studies at the time, became interested in technology
when she first used e-mail. Soon, she had created an online
discussion forum that now has over 4,400 subscribers in
47 countries.
In 1998, Korenman created CWIT, which focuses on women
as both developers and users of information technology and
is dedicated to achieving women's full participation in
all aspects of IT.
Korenman believes it is time to change the perception of
technology careers. She wants women to know that IT can
offer a wide variety of challenging, rewarding opportunities.
In response to people who argue that women are more interested
in becoming nurses or teachers because of opportunities
to nurture, she says “Nonsense!”
“I think that throughout history, people are always
talking about what's natural, what kind of talents one group
or another has,”said Korenman. “Those tend to
be way off base and serve political ends rather than to
be scientifically valid. That's true now of people who claim
that women don't have talent for information technology.”
• Information
Technology News for Women
• Information
Technology Books for Women
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