ORLANDO, Fla. – Barbie added a new career to her resume on June 26: robotics engineer.
The new Barbie aims to encourage girls' interest in fields of science, technology, engineering and math, where only 24 percent of jobs are held by women, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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Mattel, the company that manufactures Barbie, wrote in a release that this doll will "shine a light on an underrepresented career field for women."
Girls need more role models. Let’s inspire the next generation to see themselves in careers underrepresented by women. By encouraging more girls to explore STEM with Robotics Engineer #Barbie, we show them that they can be anything. https://t.co/kRIQ50Ox4Y #YouCanBeAnything pic.twitter.com/aqHFYqDQ6r
— Barbie (@Barbie) June 26, 2018
The STEM Barbie not only lets girls imagine themselves as a robotics engineer, it teaches them the skills they'll need to be one.
Included in the launch are six free Barbie-inspired coding games, which the Mattel company created in partnership with Tynker, the educational computer platform.
"By playing with Robotics Engineer Barbie on and offline, we are giving girls a new platform for play in their imaginary world and teaching them important skills for their real world," said Lisa McKnight, general manager and senior vice president of Barbie.
The coding games are said to help develop problem-solving skills while teaching coding fundamentals.
"It's critical that all young learners have an opportunity to explore the possibilities available in STEM fields, and Tynker's Barbie programming experience is a valuable tool to introduce kids of all ages to these concepts while building their coding skills," said Krishna Vedati, co-founder and CEO of Tynker.
However, Barbie is no stranger in the STEM fields. Since the 1950s, the iconic doll has been seen in roles of an astronaut, scientist, video game developer and computer engineer.