This is my pet peeve! My mother is a retired programmer, I did programming in my computer studies subject at HSC and more programming in my degree, etc etc. Yet two of my daughters don't know how to use spreadsheets and 1 in particular can't sort out computer issues to save herself. My 3rd daughter in contrast is very competent and is a resident hardware expert.

I became conscious of the negative stereotype about middle-aged women and computers when I returned to university as a mature age student. Some of the young students didn't believe that I could do anything with computers - I suppose they had seen too many middle-aged female teachers floundering with IT in the classroom. I enrolled in a subject that covered html, spreadsheets, databases etc, not because I couldn't construct spreadsheets or couldn't teach myself html but so that I had a piece of paper to prove to sceptical potential employers that I really do have computer skills.