The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program [LWN.net]

The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program

Posted Jun 16, 2006 9:06 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433)
In reply to: The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program by NAR
Parent article: The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program

"And it isn't created by sexism, girls doesn't seem to be interested in gadgets"

Go read the "Women in Linux" faq (can't remember the proper name). You'll probably find it at linuxchix. Women are *driven* *away* from gadgets by mens' propensity to monopolise.

If you understand anything about female psychology (and I expect a lot of computer blokes don't - being above average on the Autistic Spectrum seems to be typical of them) you will understand why they don't get involved in programming.

Some simple stats from education. Maths and Physics are supposed to be boys subjects. In mixed schools, very few girls do those subject. So why, in the UK, have all-girl schools CONSISTENTLY topped the league tables in those subjects (typically taking four out of five top places every year!)

In "boys" subjects, girls do badly in the presence of boys. In the absence of boys, they outperform them. So what on earth are we doing to drive them away !?!?!?

Cheers,
Wol

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The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program

Posted Jun 16, 2006 9:09 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link]

Oops. I should have said "in mixed schools, few girls do those subjects, and those that do tend to do badly".

Cheers,
Wol

The GNOME Women's Summer Outreach Program

Posted Jun 16, 2006 15:56 UTC (Fri) by NAR (subscriber, #1313) [Link]

Women are *driven* *away* from gadgets by mens' propensity to monopolise.

I don't know. When I was 10 years old, the school got a couple of Commodore 16 computers and they've started a "computer class" for the pupils - but I can't remember that there were any girls who wanted to go to this class, so I can't see how were they driven away when they didn't want to join in the first place.

Bye,NAR