In their chapter “Toys Were Us: Invention and Technological Acculturation in Hobbyist Worlds, 1900-1940,” Smith and Clancey argues that in the days of modern technical innovation and education, that boys and men were given a distinct advantage in the field not only in terms of college education, but also, in terms of play and casual exploration.

This advantage is evident in a number of magazines and articles from the turn of the 20th-century, as young boys were encouraged to experiment and explore with new technical hobbies in a way that girls were not. The “amateur” fields of science and technology, such as electricity, were fostered in male-dominated spheres (360). This provided boys with early advantages that allowed them to succeed disproportionately in the fields of technology and innovation, a disparity that is still evident today (358).

The technical training that was available to girls, such as that of the radio operator, lacked the “hobbyist” component that was common for boys (362). Girls training to be radio operators only received a few days training, and training was to be run in an efficient manner, similar to the way that women would perform “household duties” (363) Perfection and efficiency - not trial and error - was expected of girls and women.

Even almost a century later, with the invention and popularization of the computer, advertisements were still aimed at the parents of young boys - not girls. Nowadays, as we grapple with explaining the “gender gap” in STEM fields, it is important to remember that this gap may not be the result of lack of interest in the field among girls, but rather, the result of over a century of early advantages given to boys. (==Glynnis Farleigh)