Monday, November 18, 2013
Women in technical sciences
The
extremely low number of women in Computer Science is not alarming.
There is nothing holding women back from a successful career in
technical sciences. Is it alarming that far less men graduate in nursing
than women? Absolutely not. If stereotypes were holding women back from
technical majors it is due to choice, not oppression.
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I think it is alarming that men are not in nursing. I can not imagine the ridicule and isolation that some guys who are in nursing must experience.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know if your joking or not.
DeleteI'm dead serious.
DeleteSo do you think that women are oppressed in computer science? I am really interested in hearing your position.
DeleteIn my opinion, it's more of a passive exclusion and not really oppression. There are people who are sexist and rude, but I certainly don't think that's the majority. It's more a collection of little things that limit our industry to a certain kind of person. A lot of people are not included in that, not just minorities but men who don't fit the stereotype as well.
ReplyDeleteFor example, all the time people make claims about what computer scientists are like. "Computer scientists love video games. Computer scientists stay up til three in the morning. Computer scientists will find this project easy." Some I relate to and some I don't. But when I hear things I can't relate to over and over again, it gets harder to convince myself that there's a place for me here.
Another example is the way people look at you when you say your major. It's really isolating in relief society when I announce my major. They struggle to relate to me or feel I am somehow smarter or think I am better than they are. It's hard to feel alien.
Another example is just hearing about sexual assault in the workplace, even though I've rarely experienced any overt sexism. It's not handled very well in the tech industry in particular. People accuse victims of lying and often they end up fired within a few months. This year alone there's been a number of high profile cases and to me that's really scary to consider.
I also find it crazy that I'm even in this major. I had no idea what it was and it took my brother's insistence for me to give it a chance. And I really love it. I'm glad someone took the time to realize I'd do well here. Most girls reject this field and others because they don't really understand what's involved.
They're little but it does take work to ignore them and push forward, especially as they begin to add up. And I think a lot of the things that exclude women, exclude most everyone else too at some point or another.
I think you have made some excellent points, and I have even experienced some of the same prejudices that you have concerning stereotypes of CS majors. I still don't think that women are oppressed in the CS field, but I do agree that there are loads of jerks in the world and some of them happen to be in CS.
DeleteI really appreciate you answering my question. Thank you. It has given me much food for thought.