There's a gender bias question here, and a value of language learning question. My take on the languages side - they are enormously valuable if you bring somet

There's a gender bias question here, and a value of language learning question. My take on the languages side - they are enormously valuable if you bring something else to the table. If all you can do is speak 4 languages, it's novel but doesn't open doors. If you can program Python, price a derivative, or design a bridge - then the language becomes invaluable. Who should we send to talk to the client in Spain? Jane speaks Spanish. Who should set up the support team in Prague? Bill is good with that language and culture stuff. As for the gender issue, it's much tougher. It's easy to say, "Let's encourage our kids" and a lot starts there. It's hard to change society, but you can always start with the local schools.