Attracting Women Into Computer Science

Frisky070802 writes "U.S. News & World Report has an article about attracting women into Computer Science. '...That sense of isolation and inadequacy is one reason the number of women earning computer science degrees in this country has plummeted over the past two decades--with women dropping from 37 percent to 28 percent of graduates--at the very moment their presence in other scientific and engineering disciplines has soared. 'You look at the national statistics,' says Rick Rashid, senior vice president of research at Microsoft, 'and you just have to be appalled.'' It describes how some companies have even started summer camps to attract high school girls into high tech."

Comments

Re:Obligatory Simpsons Quote

[Errtu76]

Well you know boys, a nuclear reactor is a lot like a woman

they're both designed to explode?

What's the point?

[Cereal Box]

You can call me sexist if you want, but I'm not convinced that women in general are as capable as men when it comes to disciplines like engineering or Computer Science. I'm not saying that there aren't women who are talented in these fields -- they're just not as easy to find as these politically-correct types would like to believe. There will always be talented women who are drawn to Computer Science and they don't need special programs or camps to "convince" them that they will enjoy studying Computer Science.

Re:What's the point?

[Xugumad]

I think the real problem is not discouraging the women who are good at computer science. I think if you take a random sample of men, and a random sample of women, you'll find more of the men have a natural ability for computer science.

This doesn't mean that women are incapable of computer science, just less likely to have a natural knack for it. I've met plenty of women who are good sys-admins or programmers (some of them dramatically better than my male co-workers, but that's another rant).

However, computer science has an air of geekiness, which I think puts off a lot of women, not to mention being outnumbered. I've been in groups where I'm the only guy, and it's a litle bit creepy, I'd imagine the opposite is also true!

Re:it's too late

[themusicgod1]

"Certainly most muslim societies and lots of backwards countries like in africa but most western countries are more englightened."
ha
hahaha
ha ha ha hahah hahaha
hahaha ha ha ha.


and i'm sure the nature and personality and interests of mom have nothing to do with it.[/sarcasm]

Re:Aim a little lower....

[brsmith4]

I think it's due, in large part, to the fact that, despite what anyone says to the contrary, men really don't care what you are saying. The two sexes operate on different wavelengths. The truth is, women rarely discuss anything that your average man is even remotely interested in. Just like most women don't want to hear about the big game or how your day sitting behind a computer went, men don't want to hear the often inane, overdrawn, and overdramatized details that women tend to put out on the table.

Its really all about sex and how much a man and a woman can stand to sleep in the same bed with each other afterward. I don't know who started the whole "committed relationship" thing, but it was a Bad Idea (TM).

Sincerely,

John "Couldn't-keep-a-relationship-together-to-save-his -life" Doe

Re:HOWTO

[Matrix272]

Quite seriously, for a man to say "bitch" and then say that it's not anti-woman is kind of like a white person saying "nigger" and then saying that it's not anti-black.

Disclaimer: I am not a woman, nor am I black. Having said that, I will continue to call women "bitches" when they act like it, just like I will continue to call black people "niggers" when they act like it. I will also continue to call gay people (think: Gay Al on South Park) "bitches" when their actions are more bitch-like than man-like. I will also continue to call white people (think: Eminem or any other white guy who thinks he's black) "wiggers" or "niggers" when their actions are more "nigger-like" than decent. To me, the term "bitch" is no more anti-woman than "asshole" is anti-man. Also, "nigger" is no more anti-black than any other insult I could come up with.

The simple fact is that some black people act like complete, utter morons, well-deserving of most insults I could think up. The term "nigger" is just convenient because of its negative connotation. Therefore, when I see a black person driving down the road, slumped so low in the driver's seat that his forehead is below the steering wheel, and the bass turned up so high the car bounces, I will call him a "nigger". (I would, and have, do the same to a white person.)

It's not political correctness, folks, it's a matter of basic politeness.

I don't give a rat's ass about basic politeness when it comes to the previous examples I gave. Until women stop holding grudges, fighting dirty, and using sex as means to get what they want, I'll continue to call them bitches. Until the majority of black people stop writing / listening to songs that drug-use, drive-by's, gang shootings, beatings, rape, etc., I'll continue to call them niggers.

I apologize if you think I'm a sexist or a racist... but if you do, you apparently need to re-read my post.