While I would welcome more women in IT and open source in particular, I do have some concerns about the efforts being made. Working at a university, I have seen and contributed to many programs to bring women into STEM fields. I don't see a lot of progress, even at places where these programs promote women in STEM while excluding men. (which may or may not really be a problem) A few years ago, one of our graduate students did her M.S. project on this very subject. I found several facts from her literature review puzzling.
The number one reason given by women for enter the IT field was the prospect of a well paying job. The number one reason for leaving the IT field (or avoiding) was "I want to work with people, not computers all day". In addition, a large percentage of women leave the IT field after 5 years and never return.
So my questions start with, are we pressuring women into a field that they won't be happy with? Will women ever represent more that a small fraction of people in this field? Do women fgure out that money isn't everything, causing them to leave the field to pursue another dream? Nursing, in comparison, is 95% women, 5% men. Yet no one is really surprised or troubled by this. Maybe IT is just a field that men are more attuned with than the average woman.
Personally, I would like to see a change to the efforts of recruiting a gender into a field. I would like to see a national movement to provide all high school students, men and women, with career experiences throughout high school. Many students have no idea what they want to do after high school because they lack experience. I know I personally was pressured into a field I later found I hated (engineering) because of the prospect of a good job. While I do well in IT, my job views are no longer based on money. IT is something I love to do.
I am not going to really respond to your points. They may be valid. But I would ask you to keep in mind that you must also question their validity. The same things were said after the 2000 election. It happens anytime the presidential race is so close. I would also ask you to remember that things weren't all peaches and cream when GWB left office. This country has been heading the wrong direction under both parties so you really can't blame one side or the other. We live in a country of freedom. And along with that gift comes the responsibility of fixing it when its breaking. Not running away to stick your head in the sand.
While I would welcome more women in IT and open source in particular, I do have some concerns about the efforts being made. Working at a university, I have seen and contributed to many programs to bring women into STEM fields. I don't see a lot of progress, even at places where these programs promote women in STEM while excluding men. (which may or may not really be a problem) A few years ago, one of our graduate students did her M.S. project on this very subject. I found several facts from her literature review puzzling.
The number one reason given by women for enter the IT field was the prospect of a well paying job. The number one reason for leaving the IT field (or avoiding) was "I want to work with people, not computers all day". In addition, a large percentage of women leave the IT field after 5 years and never return.
So my questions start with, are we pressuring women into a field that they won't be happy with? Will women ever represent more that a small fraction of people in this field? Do women fgure out that money isn't everything, causing them to leave the field to pursue another dream? Nursing, in comparison, is 95% women, 5% men. Yet no one is really surprised or troubled by this. Maybe IT is just a field that men are more attuned with than the average woman.
Personally, I would like to see a change to the efforts of recruiting a gender into a field. I would like to see a national movement to provide all high school students, men and women, with career experiences throughout high school. Many students have no idea what they want to do after high school because they lack experience. I know I personally was pressured into a field I later found I hated (engineering) because of the prospect of a good job. While I do well in IT, my job views are no longer based on money. IT is something I love to do.