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Tech's Gender Gap Started At Stanford

Posted by Soulskill on from the setting-the-standard-early dept.

JCallery writes: The New York Times has an in-depth look at the gender gap in tech through the eyes of Stanford's class of 1994. The article surveys the culture of the school and its attempts at changing the equation on diversity. It also examines Stanford's impact on the big companies (Yahoo, PayPal, WhatsApp, Stella & Dot) and big names (Peter Theil, Rachel Maddow, Brian Acton) that came of age during the pioneering era of the early web.

6 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Risk = Reward by Tokolosh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "A group of British researchers have analyzed data from the Darwin Awards and found that men are more likely to engage in life-threatening risky behaviour than women."

    The term "idiotic" is used a lot in the quoted article, but it is a genetic fact that males are more willing to take a chance. The outcome is a gender gap. Women should stop their shrill haranguing, get their hands dirty and be more "idiotic".

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    Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
    1. Re:Risk = Reward by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I had submitted that as a story two weeks ago. Newcastle University study: Men are bigger idiots I guess people didn't like the title :-)

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re:Risk = Reward by Cockatrice_hunter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That is NOT what the study said. The study stated that men were more likely to receive the Darwin awards than females. They suggested possible reasons for this including selection and reporting bias (ex. it's more OK to laugh at the deaths of men then that of men).

  2. As always, looking at this wrong. by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Step 1: Stigmatize the traits that lead people to excel in tech fields, men posessing those traits, and anyone in tech
    Step 2: Watch as that stigmatization isolates and ostracizes people in tech as "nerds" "dweebs" "dorks" "losers" and so on
    Step 3: "WHY AREN'T THERE MORE WOMEN IN TECH?!!!!"

    Tech fields aren't some fortress designed to keep women out, they're a ghetto that unattractive or non-conforming men were shoved into. That's why the "neckbeard" stereotype is pushed so hard these days, nobody wants to give up bullying these people but they need to find some way to JUSTIFY it that also covers for the fact that bullying is exactly why the gender gap exists in the first place. So they invent this massive straw misogynist "neckbeard" caricature and start pushing it everywhere. Now it's not just that nerds are losers, it's that they're misogynist losers and that's why it's totally ok to bully them because it's all their fault anyway.

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    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  3. Re:superficial read... by sphealey · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I remember reading "how to interview in Silicon Valley" articles during that time period that described firms doing things such as flying entire recruiting classes to Las Vegas and eliminating any candidates who didn't gamble and drink in large quantities. That's behavior that predictive for success in complex business-focused entities for sure.

    sPH

  4. Re:Are you kidding me? by misexistentialist · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I assume they were kicked out due to the men returning from war, those selfish bastards.