32 ms·

The gender imbalance in tech will remain self-reinforcing unless we actively work to change it. Right now the gender balance is so bad that we're effectively gi

The gender imbalance in tech will remain self-reinforcing unless we actively work to change it. Right now the gender balance is so bad that we're effectively giving up on half the population. How does anyone think that is a good thing? Other high-skill fields like medicine & law aren't anywhere near as imbalanced as tech. Changing the status quo requires outreach and making the culture more inclusive. Most appeals to meritocracy in tech boil down to "but I really like the way things are now".

beat 11y ago
The gender situation in IT today is actually worse than it was when I started, twenty-odd years ago. That's sad. And really, I think the problem starts long before college. There are structural issues in the broader culture and the education system. It's even worse for black and latino kids.
talmand 11y ago
That change in culture has to start at high school and college levels, if not sooner, in educational terms for any meaningful changes to happen. Plus the culture that needs to work to change isn't necessarily just the tech culture.
- jazzyk 11y ago
  Exactly. Pop-culture in the US (and high-school/college kids are drowning in it) is very anti-intellectual in general. And getting worse every year (reality shows, etc). But a lot of discrimination comes from female peer-pressure, not males. My daughter kept repeating "math is hard" because her female friends kept saying so, until I had none of it. She ended up being very good in math, but chose chem+biology as her major in college :-)
kansface 11y ago
> medicine & law aren't anywhere near as imbalanced as tech It looks like females comprise over 90% of our nurses and about 20% of our surgeons (in the US). For the matter, I understand the trend is going in the wrong direction in Scandinavia.

32 ms·

The gender imbalance in tech will remain self-reinforcing unless we actively work to change it. Right now the gender balance is so bad that we're effectively gi

by cgearhart 11y ago

beat 11y ago
The gender situation in IT today is actually worse than it was when I started, twenty-odd years ago. That's sad. And really, I think the problem starts long before college. There are structural issues in the broader culture and the education system. It's even worse for black and latino kids.
talmand 11y ago
That change in culture has to start at high school and college levels, if not sooner, in educational terms for any meaningful changes to happen. Plus the culture that needs to work to change isn't necessarily just the tech culture.
- jazzyk 11y ago
  Exactly. Pop-culture in the US (and high-school/college kids are drowning in it) is very anti-intellectual in general. And getting worse every year (reality shows, etc). But a lot of discrimination comes from female peer-pressure, not males. My daughter kept repeating "math is hard" because her female friends kept saying so, until I had none of it. She ended up being very good in math, but chose chem+biology as her major in college :-)
kansface 11y ago
> medicine & law aren't anywhere near as imbalanced as tech It looks like females comprise over 90% of our nurses and about 20% of our surgeons (in the US). For the matter, I understand the trend is going in the wrong direction in Scandinavia.