Why don't more women work in IT?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/04/women-it-naomi-alderman

by twampss • 17 years ago

3 12 17 years ago

guardian.co.uk

tjic3• 17 years ago

I'm sure that there are women out there who are better programmers than I am (probably thousands of them!), but - as Camille Paglia argues - the bellcurve of female drive and talent is narrower than the bellcurve of male drive and talent. There are a lot of great sociobiological reasons for this - for example, something like 90% of women reproduce, but just 50% of guys do. Guys are driven to find and conquer hard challenges in part to gain access to fertile women. This translates into behaviors like studying programming for years, working long days, etc.

Also, it's hard not to believe that a larger percentage of men have the mathematical / analytical mindset that is a prerequisite for most IT jobs.

The politically correct will worry at this question for decades, because they're incapable of seeing the answers that are right in front of their noses.

cchooper2• 17 years ago

IT does not require particularly long hours most of the time, and it certainly doesn't require years of study (many IT professionals have never studied it at all). At the same time, many jobs with long hours and years of study have more than 7% female participation.

gravitycop2• 17 years ago

many IT professionals have never studied it at all

These IT professionals have never coded at home? They have never read even part of a single book on coding?

Jem• 17 years ago

How apt. I'd just finished a blog entry on the sexism I suffer, and have always suffered, as a woman in IT.

"Sociobiological reasons" aside, women in IT are leered at and heckled; their accomplishments are looked over in favour of male colleagues. Others in IT make assumptions and generalisations about their female counterparts without even realising they're doing it.

Women who don't have the mental strength to overcome this eventually get out of the industry (or avoid getting in to it in the first place.)

twampss• 17 years ago

Link for those interested: http://www.jemjabella.co.uk/blog/im-a-woman-actually

indiejade3• 17 years ago

I agree that it can be massively frustrating as a female in this industry.

True story: last year, I had an interview with Nasa Ames Research. A recruiter had called me up and said he had some Linux-oriented position for which they were hiring.

So I made it out to the interview, was interviewed by a couple of people, and alas, given a Microsoft machine during the last part of the interview. I was then ridiculed because I couldn't remember off the top of my head how to get to the default C:\\command-prompt on Microsoft Windows because I have been working almost exclusively on Unix variant machines for the past 4 or 5 years. I eventually got it, but almost felt like the interviewer put me in a position where I was made to look and feel stupid, despite the fact that the recruiter had told me that I was interviewing for a Unix-type position.

I was not hired. The recruiter told me it was because I don't have a car. (This info was NOT in the job description or requirements, and I'm pretty sure it is illegal to deny somebody employment for not owning a car -- should I sue?). I suspect the real reason I wasn't hired was because I am a female. I suspect if I were to attempt to "fight it," I'd also lose because I'm female (well, maybe only during the last Administration's reign). :)

All in all, I was out almost a full day of my time, public transportation costs, and down a whole lot of hope for females in this industry.

P.S. This is the real deal http://oss.zentu.net/?q=node/27

gravitycop2• 17 years ago

it can be massively frustrating as a female in this industry. [...] I was not hired. The recruiter told me it was because I don't have a car.

It is normal for employers to expect employees to have cars. http://www.helium.com/items/503172-tips-for-overcoming-objec...

In your preparations, list your weaknesses and any possible objections that you can think of. For example, one objection may be, "You don't have your own car. How are you going to get to work at 7am every day?"

I'm pretty sure it is illegal to deny somebody employment for not owning a car

Should car-ownership status be added to the following list?: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_discrimination#Prote...

  Protected categories
 
  * Race or color 
  * Ethnicity/National origin 
  * Sex or gender 
  * Pregnancy 
  * Religion or creed 
  * Political affiliation 
  * Language abilities 
  * Citizenship 
  * Disability (physical, mental, or emotional) 
  * Medical conditions (AIDS or other diseases) 
  * Age 
  * Sexual Orientation 
  * Gender Identity 
  * Marital status 
  * Military Veteran status 
  * Military discharge status or anticipated
    military deployment

tjic3• 17 years ago

> given a Microsoft machine... the interviewer put me in a position where I was made to look and feel stupid, despite the fact that the recruiter had told me that I was interviewing for a Unix-type position.

Yeah, maybe.

...but do you think that had anything to do with you being female?

Do you honestly think that male interview candidates were given linux boxes, and they kept a windows box on a shelf in the closet JUST to trip up female candidates?

I suggest that the problem was that either the recruiter was an idiot, or that you applied for a government job.

indiejade3• 17 years ago

Maybe because nobody will hire them?

Why don't more women work in IT?

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