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Gender Gap in Computer Science Growing
EReidJ writes "Looks like finding a compatible girl geek in the computer profession is becoming even harder, as an already wide gender gap among Computer Science majors is becoming larger. From the article: 'A Globe review shows that the proportion of women among bachelor's degree recipients in computer science peaked at 37 percent in 1985 and then went on the decline. Women have comprised about 28 percent of computer science bachelor's degree recipients in the last few years, and in the elite confines of research universities, only 17 percent of graduates are women [...] The argument of many computer scientists is that women who study science or technology, because they are defying social expectations, are in an uncomfortable position to begin with. So they are more likely to be dissuaded from pursuing computer science if they are exposed to an unpleasant environment, bad teaching, and negative stereotypes like the image of the male hacker.'"
Do you really expect women to code away all night long to the wee hours of the morning? Get real, they won't.
So ScuttleMonkey, women are supplies? Perhaps blatant sexism such as this is one of the reasons for the gender gap.
There's few positions that if you are hiring a programmer, system admin, network security, CCNE, etc... that the ODDS are that you'll find a MALE with more experience and better qualified than a woman to do the job.
And in the end, as an employer, you want the best person to do the job. Granted there are circumstances in which you can go with somebody less qualified -- especially when you aren't willing to pay market value. And that unfortunately, is where women get into the IT industry.
I'm not going to say women are less competent than men -- in fact I know a handful myself that work harder and are smarter than their male counterparts in IT. However, they are very few and far between. So if you put a job out, and get 300 applicants, the odds are that only 5-10 of them will be women to respond. And from that 5-10, do you think that 290-295 men won't have better credentials and are better suited for the job?
Sorry, but that's just the facts of life. If women want to make it in IT, they have to push their gender to be empowered enough to move into the territory held so strongly by men.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
I'd say a more noble calling than motherhood is running an abortion clinic.