Tackling Open Source's Gender Issues

angry tapir writes "Women's participation in open source development is at a far lower level than women's participation in proprietary software development. One of the groups that aims to change this is the Ada Initiative: A non-profit organization formed last year. I recently caught up with its two founders, Linux kernel developer Valerie Aurora and comp sci PhD student Mary Gardiner, to discuss the project."

Okay this may get me modded down to infinity, but

[elrous0]

Good luck trying to find a woman that doesn't care about money.

And if you do, please tell her that I'm looking for a new wife to help me support my first two.

They can't walk the walk.

[Anonymous Coward]

Women have a hard time being obnoxious, arrogant, self-centered fuckheads. They are willing to make compromises in the interest of forward progress. They also are not as good as men at doling out sexual innuendo and juvenile potty humor. In short, they are completely unsuited to the task.

First up, rename Man command

[Tekfactory]

I mean come on that's been a problem for years right?

Re:Community resistance

[Anonymous Coward]

"-probably not the most palatable spokesperson to get behind in the first place"

It's probably safer than to have him behind you.

Re:Okay this may get me modded down to infinity, b

[Anonymous Coward]

Good luck trying to find a woman that doesn't care about money.

Hah! That's easy! Just find a woman with a rich husband.

[ducks]

Re:Okay this may get me modded down to infinity, b

[Anonymous Coward]

That's quite a stereotype you've got there...

Re:Community resistance

[stanlyb]

The funny things is that in France there are a lot more women developers than in USA for example. Funny, maybe they are smarter? I mean both french men and women....

Re:Community resistance

[russotto]

Something doesn't have to be the worst to be bad.

For geek misogynism to explain the gender disparity in software in general or open source in particular, it does have to be the worst. Because the gender disparity in software is more than in advertising, more than in sales, more than in almost any occupation you can think of that's full of loudmouth sexists:

Software engineers: 20.6% women
Computer programmers: 22.4% women
Computer scientists and systems analysts: 30.4% women
Computer support specialists: 27.1% women
Database administrators: 32.2% women
Network and computer systems administrators: 17.2% women
Network systems and data communications analysts: 23.2% women

Compare:
Bailiffs, correctional officers, jailers: 26.9% women
Sports reporters: 38.8% women
Advertising sales agents: 45.3% women
Marketing and sales managers: 43.1% women
Lawyers: 35.0% women

There are professions with fewer women -- e.g. tv and radio announcers, 18% women. And many of the construction trades are near zero. Truckers, very low. But still, it strains credulity that a bunch of geeks could drive women out of a field through sheer obnoxiousness, when salespeople, advertising people, sports reporters, and lawyers couldn't.