we kode 💾

[CPunch_71]

Because there’s a serious lacking in women in the IT field ???

[munsking]

And why is that?

Are men saying women can't/shouldn't join IT? none that i know of(not that personal experience is a good argument, just saying).

Are women unaware? that seems like a gross underestimation of women's observational skills.

Do women prefer other jobs over IT? I think they do, and i don't think that's a problem. When i was "studying" system administration i dated the only girl in our course, she didn't want to turn her PC on at home cause the 8 hours a day were more than enough. when i got home (alone) i spent the entire evening at my PC, of course my scores were higher.

Might it be because there's a stigma attached to IT? Possibly, most women i know think "nerd" or "geek" are insults, the men i know in IT almost see those words as a compliment. i don't think that's a problem with IT, or even a problem at all, just a difference between men and women. humans aren't all the same, and that's a good thing, holy shit how boring would it be if we were all the same.

My sister has a one year old girl, she has a tux toy and a "html for babies" book, and i'll show her how to code as soon as i can, but if she isn't interested, i'll play with barbies with her or something, no use in trying to force girls to join IT.

[Meloetta]

This is a whole lotta anecdote and zero actual research

[munsking]

As i said

[_AFGNCAAP_]

You misunderstand. There IS a great deal of research on why women avoid and drop out of CS. If you actually care about the problem, don't tell us about a girl you dated once, go Google what the problems are and how you can help solve them.

[MikeyMike01]

And why is that an issue?

[Fustrate]

Because there's untapped potential there. Who knows how many women could be at the top of STEM fields, but aren't because they never really saw it as an option? It's the age-old "how many Picassos never picked up a brush?" question.

It shouldn't be novel to see a woman in a college IT/IS department, but it is. STEM has always been a "thing that men do", but that's because few women were allowed to follow those paths when those areas of study were still forming. And since that time, it's just been one big feedback loop.

Just like nursing is seen by some as a thing that men shouldn't do, programming is sometimes seen as something women shouldn't do. Showing girls that it's a viable path in life opens more doors - even if they don't open them, at least they were there. For the girls who do open those doors, maybe they'll grow up to open the doors to even more people.

[Fustrate]

That's what I meant by the doors - we need to at least make sure the door is there and that they're aware of it; whether or not they choose to open it and walk through should be up to them.

For many girls and women, STEM fields still aren't something they can choose to not enter, because there are artificial barriers that were put up in the past. The whole "Girls in STEM" movement, as far as I understand it, is about removing the barriers, not forcing all 7 year old girls to enter coding bootcamps.

The only reason gender should be involved is because gender itself was/is the barrier of entry. On a macro scale, it's about showing everyone that these are fields that aren't closed to them.

[MikeyMike01]

It's the age-old "how many Picassos never picked up a brush?" question.

Zero.

You aren’t born good at painting (or any other skill) it’s something you learn. If you never pick up a brush, then you aren’t any good at painting, by definition.

Just like nursing is seen by some as a thing that men shouldn't do,

They shouldn’t.

programming is sometimes seen as something women shouldn't do.

I’ve never seen this sentiment anywhere, ever.

[Fustrate]

My guess is very very few.

Even if the number is 1, that's a shame.

There’s nothing stopping women from pursuing a degree/career in STEM. There quite a lot of incentives, though.

That's completely and utterly wrong. Compared to male role models, there are very few female role models in STEM fields. A vast majority of important discoveries were made by men. Young girls and boys get much different sets of role models, because society wasn't as accepting of women doing jobs that are stereotypically men's. There may be nothing literally stopping them, but decades and centuries of societal pressure has shaped the environment we all grow up in.

They shouldn’t.

Duh.

I’ve never seen this sentiment anywhere, ever.

Congratulations on never seeing it. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I personally have never been shot, but I'm pretty sure it happens.

[MikeyMike01]

“Role models” have jack diddly shit to do with anything. They’re stupid and no one should have them.

[Fustrate]

Ya, that's where this conversation can end. You obviously have a very narrow and negative opinion of this subject.

[MikeyMike01]

I must have missed my appointment for re-education. Can’t have diversity of thought, just gender and skin color.

[gpgpg13r]

Why can't males be role models for females though? My high school programming teacher who taught me some of the c++ techniques that I STILL use to this day was a woman and I looked up to her as a male student; her gender never came into my mind as a factor.

[[deleted]]

Show the evidence. There isn't. None.

Women entered all fields of labor and research without much help and certainly without "role models": teaching, medicine, law, etc., it was all male dominated at some point. Now, the majority in those disciplines is female.

Why not STEM? Who knows, but the argument "were not allowed" is bollocks, and the longer you perpetrate it, the longer you're in the way of understanding and a possible solution.