The Internet was made by men for men, says a Helsinki-based activist who wants to change that.
When Linda Liukas and Karri Saarinen started teaching womenabout the male-dominated world of software development two years ago, theycould not have imagined how popular their idea would become. Advertised with acute heart logo and “girly” slogans, their code-writing courses were an instantsuccess here. Now their Helsinki-based non-profit organization Rails Girlsholds workshops around the world to enact change they believe the internetneeds.
The Finns, who are in their 20s, started their workshopsafter realizing that the web, as they describe it, was developed chiefly byyoung men Liukas compares to medieval blacksmiths. “Just like they forge theirown instruments, coder boys built themselves many useful tools," she says."But the world would never have progressed if blacksmiths had made devicesonly for their own needs.”
For the internet to continue evolving, Liukas believes, itmust be “democratized.” Just look at all the most successful companies ofSilicon Valley: Google, Facebook, Twitter — all built by 20-something boys,”says Henrietta Kekalainen, who runs Rails Girls workshops in Europe.
Liukas believes women are able to create new kinds of webapplications relevant to themselves — from online shops to computer systems formaternity clinics — that men would never devise. To start doing that, she says,they must understand coding.
Rails Girls began receiving invitations to teach inSingapore, Berlin and Buenos Aires soon after it launched its firstbeginner-friendly coding course for women in 2010. The group has since taughtmore than 1,500 would-be coders.
Rails Girls is a very girly movement. Adult participants arecalled “girls.” Furry creatures and unicorns adorn the website. Slogans onworkshop posters feature geeky humor with girly twists: “I (heart) HTML morethan Ryan Gosling,” and “My code is getting worse, please send more chocolate.”
The playful ethos extends to the way organizers describetheir roles. "You can call me a big sister," Kekalainen says."That sounds much better than ‘chief operating manager’.”
Software development shouldn’t be seen as scary or lethallyboring, Liukas says, but as a playground for creative experimentation. She saysshe would like to see children's books depict the internet as a magical world,and talks about coding as if it’s poetry.
