Statistics from the 4.7 development cycle

It shouldn't, but for many it does. Ignoring that reality doesn't solve it.

> Stopping the cycle of self-selection by permeating the stereo type of the socially inept, white male geek as the only type of people who suit a programming career/hobby is a much more practical use of time.

Evidence doesn't really suggest that the stereotype is the problem here - there are far more women in almost every avenue of professional computing than there are in the kernel. While it is a problem that women are outnumbered by men in the field at every stage of the education and career ladder, those numbers alone don't explain why our community is so disproportionately bad. Very few women enter Linux development, and retention of those that do is abysmal. One demonstrated way of increasing representation in communities is to have more role models, and outreach programs are an excellent way of achieving that.

But you're right that focusing on women isn't the only part of this, which is why the focus of projects like Outreachy is now on minorities in general. We should recognise all minorities who are involved despite social pressure making that more difficult, but we should also look at individual groups to determine whether specific strategies are working more effectively or are unintentionally excluding others.