Finnish programmer seeks to break gender stereotypes
Linda Liukas
By Kim Bo-eun
Linda Liukas, a Finnish computer programmer, illustrator and author, says being a woman in the technology industry has been an asset for her.
As a rare woman in the male-dominated pool of programmers, Liukas, 30, said she believes she is promoting diversity.
“If you look at the startup ecosystem, the founders are mostly young men solving young men’s problems,” she told reporters at an interview in Seoul, Monday, in line with a policy forum on gender equality hosted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
“Typically, my peers are men in their 20s who are interested in developing applications for dating or ordering food. Women can offer a unique perspective in solving different kinds of problems, such as in the fields of education, nutrition and health.”
Liukas published “Hello Ruby,” an activity-based storybook that teaches children about computer programming.
“It is the type of book I wish existed when I was a little girl,” she said.
“As a girl, I wasn’t excited about math. But I liked to knit, learn French and study philosophy and I realized later that each of these activities had a commonality of requiring pattern-recognition skills ― which programming is all about.”
Even in Finland, which is considered to be one of the most advanced countries in gender equality, Liukas said there are “horrendous perceptions of gender roles.”
The aim of her book is to open the world of technology to young girls who can be potential programmers.
Liukas mentioned that the world’s first computer programmer was a woman ― Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), an English mathematician and writer.
“The good news is that we are seeing change,” Liukas said, adding that last year, computer science became the most popular undergraduate major for female students at Stanford University.
“Hello Ruby” is also helping tear down stereotypes in other ways.
“Some of my proudest moments are when little boys come to me and tell me their favorite character in the book is Ruby,” she said, supporting the notion of boys accepting female characters as role models.
Lastly, as a female programmer, she has promoted the field, encouraging women to join in.
“Programmers are well-compensated and are in such need that women are able to negotiate a work-life balance,” she said.
“In addition, the field of technology doesn’t traditionally have a glass ceiling, so it will be a promising career for young women.”