ERIC Number: EJ1136648
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1545-679X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Will Computer Engineer Barbie® Impact Young Women's Career Choices?
Martincic, Cynthia J.; Bhatnagar, Neelima
Information Systems Education Journal, v10 n6 p4-14 Dec 2012
Controversy and fanfare accompanied the announcement in 2010 by Mattel, Inc. of the Barbie® doll's 126th career--computer engineer. Even though women have been and still are in a minority in the information technology (IT) and computer science (CS) fields, enough women voted for the computer engineer as the next career for Barbie® on Mattel's website that it won the overall vote, while the winning choice voted for by young girls was news anchorwoman. The discrepancy resulted in Mattel producing Barbie® dolls in both careers. This paper reports the results of a survey completed by women in the IT and CS fields regarding their attitudes about and purchases of Computer Engineer Barbie®.
Descriptors: Computer Science, Computer Science Education, Engineering Education, Information Technology, College Students, Females, Disproportionate Representation, Student Attitudes, Toys, Career Choice, Student Recruitment, Role Models, Stereotypes, Enrollment, Online Surveys
Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals. Box 488, Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480. e-mail: publisher@isedj.org; Web site: http://isedj.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A