I'm sure it's not a question of qualification or skills - after all most of us aren't running down gazelle's or plowing fields. The question is whether you see

I'm sure it's not a question of qualification or skills - after all most of us aren't running down gazelle's or plowing fields. The question is whether you see yourself primarily as a male or female or primarily as a developer or designer or engineer. I was just talking about that with my wife, who worked as an engineer in a male-dominated field and she never really thought about her gender. I've worked in mixed teams and feel the same, it's really not an issue for me. However, when bias and prejudice enters the picture the whole balance can be quickly thrown off, even by a single person. I believe that's why in the US large companies have strict policies against discrimination. Unfortunately, these very policies often have the effect of introducing quota-related problems when teams are not allowed to hire who they really want. So, we're not there yet, but I think things are moving in the right direction.