4 ms·

But what would these technologies have to do with the decline of women in CS?

by slazaro 11y ago

Ygg2 11y ago
Probably nothing. More likely marketing computer as boy/nerd toy is what caused a shift.
- rimantas 11y ago
  I cannot stand this argument, it holds no water. Or rather as much water as the famous FSM graph linking number of pirates to global warming. I was interested in computers since early teens, without even seeing one in person, just reading in magazines. I've got a real opportunity to spend some time with them only in university, and the same applies to my classmates. So no one was given computer as a gift/toy, no one saw any ads for them. Guess who got interested in programming and who did not.
- facepalm 11y ago
  Why is that likely?
  - Ygg2 11y ago
    I said more likely, but why is that more likely? Because huge shift in public opinion are from my experience, most likely made by marketing agencies. Also ads like these: http://howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fear-of-the-female-geek-xlg_two_bytes_better.jpg http://howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
    - facepalm 11y ago
      Certainly a horrible ad. But it is for buying a machine. If such ads were the culprit, women shouldn't be driving cars either? I don't know what the ads were like at the time, but I am pretty sure they made similar ads for cars. Also not sure what kind of ads were targeted at women. It's pretty common to this day, although cheap, to just mix a random product with the claim "will make you more attractive to the opposite sex". Wasn't it also the case that at first operating computers was deemed a task for secretaries, and then the perception changed? I suppose they could have shown ads of secretaries being loved by their bosses because they work so efficiently thanks to their shiny new computers. Edit: http://www.macmothership.com/gallery/MiscAds/AdamAd.JPG http://www.macmothership.com/gallery/MiscAds/AdamAd.JPG - women should just have used Macs?
      - Ygg2 11y ago
        Cars != computers. Cars are a means of transportation and much more of a requirement to live in urban environment than a computer.
        ectoplasm 11y ago
        There are quite a few massive cities in wealthy countries where a significant number of people choose not to drive even though they can afford it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_households_without_a_car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_...
Wintamute 11y ago
The field was rapidly changing, far more so than other fields, maybe it changed into something that women were less interested in? There are fields that arguably men have reduced interest in that are over-represented with females, for example health care, clinical psychology, fashion etc. I'm pretty sure that's not a bad thing, as long as those men and women with more divergent interests compared to the average are free to move laterally.

But what would these technologies have to do with the decline of women in CS?

by slazaro 11y ago

But what would these technologies have to do with the decline of women in CS?

Ygg2 11y ago

Probably nothing. More likely marketing computer as boy/nerd toy is what caused a shift.

rimantas 11y ago
I cannot stand this argument, it holds no water. Or rather as much water as the famous FSM graph linking number of pirates to global warming. I was interested in computers since early teens, without even seeing one in person, just reading in magazines. I've got a real opportunity to spend some time with them only in university, and the same applies to my classmates. So no one was given computer as a gift/toy, no one saw any ads for them. Guess who got interested in programming and who did not.
facepalm 11y ago
Why is that likely?
- Ygg2 11y ago
  I said more likely, but why is that more likely? Because huge shift in public opinion are from my experience, most likely made by marketing agencies. Also ads like these: http://howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fear-of-the-female-geek-xlg_two_bytes_better.jpg http://howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/...
  - facepalm 11y ago
    Certainly a horrible ad. But it is for buying a machine. If such ads were the culprit, women shouldn't be driving cars either? I don't know what the ads were like at the time, but I am pretty sure they made similar ads for cars. Also not sure what kind of ads were targeted at women. It's pretty common to this day, although cheap, to just mix a random product with the claim "will make you more attractive to the opposite sex". Wasn't it also the case that at first operating computers was deemed a task for secretaries, and then the perception changed? I suppose they could have shown ads of secretaries being loved by their bosses because they work so efficiently thanks to their shiny new computers. Edit: http://www.macmothership.com/gallery/MiscAds/AdamAd.JPG http://www.macmothership.com/gallery/MiscAds/AdamAd.JPG - women should just have used Macs?
    - Ygg2 11y ago
      Cars != computers. Cars are a means of transportation and much more of a requirement to live in urban environment than a computer.
      - ectoplasm 11y ago
        There are quite a few massive cities in wealthy countries where a significant number of people choose not to drive even though they can afford it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_households_without_a_car https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_most_...

Wintamute 11y ago

The field was rapidly changing, far more so than other fields, maybe it changed into something that women were less interested in? There are fields that arguably men have reduced interest in that are over-represented with females, for example health care, clinical psychology, fashion etc. I'm pretty sure that's not a bad thing, as long as those men and women with more divergent interests compared to the average are free to move laterally.