So are there really more men experts in the computing field or does it just seem that way? That question is part of an ongoing and raging debate about women in technology. From women missing as top speakers at technology conferences to little girls shunning computers for something less boring is male dominance in the field a reality or an illusion?

When computers were big boxes in an air conditioned basement of only the largest companies perhaps this disparity wasn’t all that important. Today, however as computers and technology are ubiquitous and getting moreso every year, this gap becomes a big deal.

Smart Girls Know wrote a good article on “Girls and Computer Careers” in which some telling statistics illustrate this gap:

A new study from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) found that only 10% of girls thought majoring in computer science was a good idea versus 45% of boys. The study also found boys were more comfortable than girls doing things like learning a new software program, setting up a wireless network or even editing music or video on a computer.

These statistics sound oh so 1980’s yet here we are in 2009 scratching our heads wondering why young women are turning away from technology even as more careers are becoming technology focused.   The teens want the latest cell phone but don’t like technology?   Am I the only one confused by the contradiction?

As I was doing research on this fact, I came across another whopper of a statistics, again from the Association for Computing Machinery:

According to Jan Cuny, program director for the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) External Link program, fewer than one in five degrees in computer science are being awarded to women. Cuny says that research shows many girls are interested in the field when they are younger, but as they approach their middle school years, that interest begins to drop off dramatically. There are a lot of reasons for this, Cuny says, including dull middle school and high school classes that portray computer science as more of a non-challenging vocational field.

Cuny says that perhaps the biggest barrier, however, is the perception that field itself just isn’t very fun. “Girls have an image of computer scientists as being nerds who spend all day in isolation,” Cuny said in a recent interview. “This is a misconception, but it’s very difficult to convince a fourth- or fifth-grade girl otherwise.”

For women who do go into technology the road is not easy. Getting your ideas heard can be far harder than for male counterparts. Every year some big technology conferences like recent Wired Disruptive Technology Conference ends up boasting only a slate of men speakers. Where are the women gurus? I surely know they are out there but if you look at the big name conferences it is hard to find the women. Each time a new lineup is announced the blogosphere and Twitter goes wild with activity asking “Where are the Women?!?!” (add a few expletives in as well).

They are alive and well, just harder to find. Open Source Bridge 2009 recently featured several women speakers. Women Who Tech is all about women. We’ve got our own team of experts in technology & the web here at BlogHer. Technically Women launched this month as a collaborative blog featuring views on how technology is shifting our world. Raised Eyebrow offers up Drupal, website, and business expertise.

When it comes to social media women experts abound. From Mari Smith to Nancy Marmalejo to Shama Hyder to Maria Reyes-McDavis to our very own BlogHer Founders and more. There is no shortage.

Could the disparity in numbers of girls studying computers to the wealth of women experts be because so many of us technical experts learned to be one only after leaving the halls of formal education? I know for me personally I have a degree in Accounting but trained myself through classes and untold thousands of hours of self-study to become a webmaster for a major global corporation, program web applications at a Fortune 100 company, and run the web design and consulting side of my business still today. How many other women out there took a similar path? I know from my past many of the women I worked with took a non-traditional route into technology.

Whether women take a direct or more circuitous route to tech doesn’t matter. What does matter both now and in the future is that women get the opportunity to let their brilliance shine and to succeed on their own terms in the world of computers, technology, and the web (isn’t that redundant by the way?).

What has been your experience? What is your take on the state of women in technology? Is it still a man’s domain or are we making inroads? Do the statistics from these studies play out in the real world? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Paula Gregorowicz, owner of The Paula G. Company, offers life and business coaching for lesbians to help you gain the clarity, confidence, and courage you need to have success on your own terms. Get the free eCourse “5 Steps to Turn Fear Into Freedom” at her website