Two Bit Circus, a technology entertainment company cofounded by a son of video-game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, has been arguing for some time that the push for STEM in education is missing something. Brent Bushnell has used technology to make art throughout his career. He says that to really draw talented young people into science and engineering careers, STEM needs an “A” for “Art,” turning it into STEAM.
To better understand how children are drawn to different hobbies—and eventually careers—Two Bit Circus surveyed 500 parents of children between six and 14 years old in order to better understand gender differentiators in how children play and learn. According to the “STEM vs. STEAM: The Gender Gap” report, parents of both male and female children equally report that their child’s favorite STEAM subject in school is math (26 percent) or science (30 percent).
Chart: Two Bit Circus
It’s when the school day ends that the differences emerge. Forty-one percent of the parents with boys surveyed said their children show the most interest in technology/computing activities outside of school, compared to 18 percent of parents with girls. Meanwhile, 45 percent of parents with girls report that their children show the most interest in art outside of school, compared to 10 percent of parents with boys. See the graphs above and below for more detailed results.
Chart: Two Bit Circus
