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ChickTech Brings Hundreds of Young Women To Open Source

Posted by Soulskill on from the more-engineers-more-cool-stuff dept.

ectoman writes: Opensource.com is running an interview with Jennifer Davidson of ChickTech, a non-profit organization whose mission is to create communities of support for women and girls pursuing (or interested in pursuing) careers in tech. "In the United States, many girls are brought up to believe that 'girls can't do math' and that science and other 'geeky' topics are for boys," Davidson said. "We break down that idea." Portland, OR-based ChickTech is quickly expanding throughout the United States—to cities like Corvallis and San Francisco—thanks to the "ChickTech: High School" initiative, which gathers hundreds of young women for two-day workshops featuring open source technologies. "We fill a university engineering department with 100 high school girls—more girls than many engineering departments have ever seen," Davidson said. "The participants can look around the building and see that girls from all backgrounds are just as excited about tech as they are."

16 of 158 comments (clear)

  1. many girls are brought up to believe that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    [citation needed]

    1. Re:many girls are brought up to believe that by Tokolosh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Indeed. I keep hearing this stated as a fact, over and over. It's like a lie that becomes the truth if repeated enough.

      Maybe because all the females in my engineering department were women, and not girls or chicks?

      Mod parent up.

      --
      Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
    2. Re:many girls are brought up to believe that by BonThomme · · Score: 5, Informative

      http://xkcd.com/385/

    3. Re:many girls are brought up to believe that by bangular · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Go to any university STEM departments and here's what you'll find (with my anecdotal evidence).

      Women like science. You'll have to go to the Biology department to find them. Women like math, you'll just have to go to the Applied Math & Statistics departments to find them. Women like Computer Science. You'll just have to go to the database courses to find them.

      Women are different than men. Forcing this seems artificial.

    4. Re:many girls are brought up to believe that by Prien715 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's a "skills gap" present in Math aptitude tests that appears in countries where the status of women is worse. There are countries where the gap is lower or even reversed -- which seems to suggest culture rather than biology.

      If you can find an alternative explanation beyond "American Culture", feel free to suggest it.

      --
      -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
  2. Where's BroTech? by the_skywise · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "In the United States, many boys are brought up to believe that 'doing math makes you a nerd' and that science and other 'geeky' topics are for wusses," the_skywise said. "We break down that idea."

    1. Re:Where's BroTech? by Alopex · · Score: 3, Funny

      To maintain consistency, BroTech was rebranded as D**kTech

    2. Re:Where's BroTech? by foradoxium · · Score: 3, Insightful

      so true.

      discrimination is discrimination, unless you're on the beneficiary side of the stick. But hey, isn't that what makes the US of A so special?

  3. Kuhscheisse. by CanHasDIY · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It means "Cow shit."

    Looking around my cube farm:

    3 rows of 9 cubes for a total of 27 cubes.

    3 cubes are inhabited by boxes and spare equipment, the rest by people.

    Out of 24 cubes with people, a solid half (13 to be precise) are filled with females, the rest, males.

    So, no, there is not a "shortage of girls in tech." Now, there may be a "shortage of girls" in certain avenues of the tech industry, but I'll bet dollars against pesos that there's a perfectly reasonable, non-misogynistic reason for at least the majority of those shortages.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
    1. Re:Kuhscheisse. by doctor+woot · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're a good statistician and sociologist. Strongly persuaded by the narrow anecdote you used to support your loosely worded presumptuous conclusion. This is the quality bullshit comment systems were invented for.

  4. Re:This is sexist by Gaygirlie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh, yes, because that has worked so well in the past? There are still lots of ages-old prejudices and preconceptions, like e.g. women suck at anything technical and men who become nurses must be feminine gays and so on. These things do not change unless they're forcibly made to change and ignoring these things helps no one.

  5. Re:This is sexist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I will leave this right here:
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem...

    And this more controversial one:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.u...

    I will say I'm a fan of female scientists, there are some with biochemical and chemical degrees in my family (who have long since abandoned the field for hearth and home, a decision of their own choosing), but I see a lot of men who are promoting it simply trying to make women in their own image. Maybe they are dads with only one child, daughters, which is very common now or what not. But actively steering them away from traditional female disciplines just because it offends our modern senses of "diversity" and conflating equality with equal results is just as wrong imo.

  6. Re:Name by sycodon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I had a business called ComputerChicks. For $500 they'd come to your house, fix up your computer and then fix you up...any way you wanted.

    The authorities got really cranky about it.

    But I did get meet a lot of really interesting guys over the course of 5 to 10 years with time off for good behavior.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  7. Feel good kumbaya by Gothmolly · · Score: 3, Informative

    a) there's nothing special about Open Source
    b) being excited about something is not tangible
    c) self-esteem is not the point
    d) being a career non-profit means that you never created value
    e) Oregon is full of hipsters and douches

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  8. Re:Peer pressure? by the_skywise · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have to question the analysis after this:

    "These STEM majors, as with economics, begin with few women enrolling and end with even fewer graduating. This “leaky pipeline” has been somewhat puzzling, Arcidiacono said, because women enter college just as prepared as men in math and science. On average, women more eagerly spend time studying than men do, a trait that should theoretically attract women to STEM fields, which generally assign more homework."

    More homework? Women should be attracted to STEM fields because they "generally assign more homework"?!

    Well... THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM.

    F- that... That's not at all why I wanted to go into "STEM" fields. I wanted to build s**t.

  9. Selective Service by Tokolosh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wake me up when women are required to register for Selective Service, and qualify to be shot or blown up against their will.
    https://www.sss.gov/fswho.htm

    WHO MUST REGISTER

    Almost all male U.S. citizens, and male immigrants living in the U.S., who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service.

    --
    Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number