More than three-quarters of characters engaged with
computer science are men and more than two-thirds are white, while 17.2%
are Asian and 15.5% are from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups,
according to the study from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Women
of color are practically invisible in these roles. You would have to
watch more than 85 hours of popular TV shows and movies to see a single
instance of a Latina, black or mixed race female character discussing or
engaging in computer science and, even then, you wouldn't see a single
Middle Eastern girl or woman, USC said.
Why does it matter? Google says the way computer science is portrayed in
popular culture can profoundly shape career choices. The number of
female forensic science majors jumped after the debut of the CSI television series as did the number of girls pursuing archery after the release of the movies Hunger Games and Brave. It's a serious issue.
So is the way GIRLS portrayed life in NYC -- four whiny, White women bask in entitlement.
