Why the Widening Gender Gap In Computer Science? 1563
ruheling writes "From yesterday's New York Times: ' What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?' In many US universities, over the past decade, there has been deliberate effort to integrate and encourage women and girls to get more involved in the 'hard' sciences, engineering, and math. However, instead of the proportion of women to men increasing, in Computer Science the opposite is actually true. Specifically, in 2001-2, only 28 percent of all undergraduate degrees in computer science went to women. Now many computer science departments report that women now make up less than 10 percent of the newest undergraduates. What's going on here, folks?"
Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
Lets See (Score:2, Funny)
Wait, What? No female /.'s??
Listen to Barbie (Score:4, Funny)
Simple, because "Math is Hard". That and they're tired of their male colleagues saying, "Byte me", "Mind if I nibble for a bit", and similar worn out expressions as pickup lines.
Brain size (Score:5, Funny)
With props to Will Ferrell, the funniest man alive:
A woman's brain is one-third the size of ours. It's science.
Re:Widening gap in first posts (Score:5, Funny)
I got fired from my last job, so I'm staying home with the kids. I suppose that means I got Terminated, and I Stay Resident instead.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
No doubt that the CS field is "socially challenged" at times. However, there are plenty of women in the military. These women face an almost institutionalized form of sexual harassment. This has not dimensioned the enrollment of females into the armed services.
I second your call for male nerds to dial down the stalker instinct. You aren't the first to complain of it.
While we're Blue Skying, I'd also like to call for wider adoption of deodorant in the CS field.
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Dot... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
But there is a girl in the classroom! I'm going to show her some cool macros...
Girls? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:5, Funny)
To deal with the cold, hard logic of computers all day, you need to be comfortable with such an unemotional, machine-like environment. As an IT worker, I can tell you firsthand that many women aren't comfortable in situations like that. Far too many ex-girlfriends of mine have told me I'm "too much like a robot." To which I reply, "a sex robot?" And they say no. :-(
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:1, Funny)
Yeah there were 2 males and 2 females. Something has changed with computer science since the 80's? Really? No kidding? So my Commodore Vic-20 isn't still the hottest machine around?
boo hoo hoo. There aren't equal numbers of men and women in everything. You know what? I was in the mens room and I didn't see one woman in there. MY GOD!!! We must address the inequality!
Of course when women do better or have a majority in something it's "Women ROCK!!!!" and when they don't it's "We must shatter this glass ceiling".
Re:Brain size (Score:5, Funny)
Women's brains may be 10% smaller (Brain Size [wikipedia.org]: 1130 vs 1260 cc), but I believe they're more advanced, uses less energy, and generates less heat.
They appear to be:
Why women avoid pursuing a CS career is a mystery to me.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
<annoying-voice>because that would be sexist!</annoying-voice>
Re:Obvious.... (Score:1, Funny)
Yes, That appears to be the new CS recruitment strategy.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
To be fair, she's a whackjob, and one who belongs to the fringe-end of evangelical churches.
Again, I'm not making a judgment on her (or anyone else in the race) on religious grounds, but that's a fair one to make, if you are.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:2, Funny)
...but the military is full of men who exhibit alpha-male traits, while the guys in CS are typically in a perpetual state of beta â" with only dreams of sweet release.
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:5, Funny)
Insightful? Parenting advice that includes giving a 1 year old a hammer?
Re:Brain size (Score:2, Funny)
The problem is when you try to create a beowulf cluster of them it quickly degenerates into name calling, hair pulling, and passive aggressive threats behind a thin scary veil of cheer.
Re:The girls are smarter (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:5, Funny)
Insightful? Parenting advice that includes giving a 1 year old a hammer?
What can I say? We're liberal parents?
Here is a link to the toy hammer [onestepahead.com] employed by our little doll-smasher. Hopefully that clears up any confusion.
Re:The girls are smarter (Score:4, Funny)
If you follow the females, you will figure out where the next job boom will be.
I tried that, and all I got was this lousy jail cell.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
>While we're Blue Skying, I'd also like to call for wider adoption of deodorant in the CS field.
Would you accept a friendly amendment to you motion to call for wider adoption of regular bathing and clothes laundering?
Ok but I'm not going to iron my shirt.
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:2, Funny)
It's your fault for naming the cat HAMMER.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
Yes. We're quaking in our boots. You should definitely choose this fine woman to be your 2012 nominee. That would teach us.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:1, Funny)
Why would you? I've got a girl who does that for me.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
What do you think "speaking in tongues means"? This is just a form of shared social experience your culture doesn't engage in. A religion which worships a cracker as the literal body of some 2000 year man/god can't really complain too much about nonsense syllables.
Re:Obvious.... (Score:5, Funny)
My idea of American 'culture' is fast food, celebrities, gas guzzling cars, and guns. Have I missed anything?
I am always taken back by how people in other countries think about us.
It is horrifying to me that you left out porn...
huh? (Score:3, Funny)
What happened on 11/4/08?
Re:Obvious.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Obvious.... (Score:3, Funny)
I think you're being way too sensitive. We're not creepy at all. If only girls would understand that. Like this one girl I thought about a lot. I meticulously collected her hair over the course of weeks and used it to create a greeting card with the words "I'm thinking of you" spelled out using a mixture of her hair and my saliva.
Even after that gracious welcome, she dropped out of the class shortly after joining. Guess CS is not for chicks after all.
-Laxitive
Re:Women don't want to do CS? (Score:3, Funny)
Women in CS in the 80s was explained by the dot-com boom?
Learn something new every day.
Re:The brainy girls are going to med school (Score:1, Funny)
the creepy geek guys leering at them like they've never seen a live female before
This just proves it: geeks are necrophiliacs! creepy geeks!