GIRL power is spreading to the world of geeks.
Stereotypically the preserve of lank-haired males, IT is increasingly being discussed by organised groups of women.
Girl Geeks Scotland was launched this year by Morna Simpson, a lecturer in interactive media design at the University of Dundee
. It organises networking dinners for women of all ages who are interested in technology or work in related businesses. She wanted to do something about the lack of socialising opportunities for women because men normally dominate careers in those sectors.
While one of the origins of the word "geek" is a description for a performer in freak circus side shows, Simpson and her peers are more than happy to describe themselves as "girl geeks". A girl geek, for them, is anyone passionate about what technology can achieve.
"I'm all for taking ownership of the girl geeks description," said Simpson. "I'm interested in what technology can do for society."
And girl geeks are springing up all over the world. Technology website CNET has come up with a list of "top girl geeks". They are far from the stereotype of spectacle-wearing nerds who spend their time in a small room writing programmes. Its top ten included celebrity Paris Hilton, because she "popularised the pink Motorola phone", is "often photographed clutching her PSP" and attended the gamers' Mecca, E3. "She might look trendy on the outside, but inside this girl is all binary," according to CNET.
Nor do the girl geeks in Scotland resemble Jen, the only female character in the TV show IT Crowd, who knows nothing about the technology and spends her time being agony aunt and relationship coach to her male colleagues.
The Girl Geeks network was started in London four years ago by software engineer Sarah Blow. She was frustrated with going to corporate events where she was asked if she was someone's girlfriend or if she worked in marketing. To tackle this issue, Blow come up with the concept of Girl Geeks to organise events for women where they could socialise and talk about technology in an informal environment, without feeling intimidated about being in a room full of men. While men can attend a Girl Geeks dinner, they must be invited by a woman. The events are for women of all ages who want to progress their careers by meeting like-minded professionals.
Simpson said: "I went to a Girl Geeks dinner in London and liked the whole format. I got in touch with Sarah Blow, as there is a formula for the dinners, and kick-started the network in Scotland."
Dinners have now been held in Dundee and Edinburgh, with the most recent event in June at Edinburgh University's Informatics Centre proving a sell-out. Simpson has around 500 followers on Twitter and 250 Scottish girl geeks on her mailing list for events. "The network is at an early stage, but I'm amazed at how quickly it has grown."
Such is the success of Girl Geeks Scotland that it has managed to attract a high-profile speaker from Silicon Valley in the US to address diners at the next event at Napier University in October. Caterina Fake, co-founder of the phenomenally successful photo-sharing site Flickr, has agreed to give tecchie tips to fellow girl geeks on this side of the Atlantic.
Polly Purvis, executive director at technology trade body ScotlandIS who spoke at the last Edinburgh dinner, said: "Girls are the missing link in our industry. We need their skills, talent and creativity to help transform technology in the 21st century."
Women are under-represented in computing courses at university and the imbalance between the sexes remains pronounced at work. A study commissioned by technology giant Cisco Systems showed that women made up less than 25 per cent of all computing graduates in Europe and only 28 per cent of information systems managers are female.
Hannah Malone, 47, an engineering graduate and now a manager with Cisco in Scotland, has three children aged eight, ten and 13. She said women must be convinced that a career in technology can offer more flexibility than many other industries. "I can easily work from home, so that means I can see my children at either end of the day, be there for emergencies and still get my work completed. The technology sector is definitely not just for men."
But, according to Simpson, a lack of women colleagues to talk to can cause problems. Simpson said: "I've seen friends in their thirties go through difficult times. They're thinking of having children, but are worried about taking time off. Women tend to have weak professional networks and that is more pronounced in careers dominated by men."
Along with Girl Geeks in Leeds, the Scottish network is applying for funding from the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, which will be matched by the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance, to support the growth of the network.
The geek orthodoxKATE Ho is a 27-year-old graduate of Edinburgh University, and is about to launch her own software company in the city. She is a self-confessed "girl geek".
Ho, who is originally from Hong Kong but has spent most of her life in Scotland, studied computer sciences as an undergraduate and is now in the final stages of her PhD. She attended the first Girl Geeks Scotland dinner earlier this year, and has since been involved in building up the network across the country.
She said she was drawn to Girl Geeks because she was sick of being the only woman at programming and developing events. "If I went to meetings in pubs, there would be ten guys and perhaps one other woman. I would be pleased there was a woman there. But 90 per cent of the time it turned out to be based on false hope as she would be there because she was someone's girlfriend.
"Through Girl Geeks I can meet like-minded women. A girl geek, for me, is anyone that enjoys being involved in technology and is interested in it."
Explaining why it is so difficult to meet other women in technology, she said: "Of the 70 or 80 graduates from my computing sciences course at one of the best universities in the UK, there were only five females."
