The problem is that on about 20% of the population is an introvert (I), and only 20% of women are in the thinking (T) category, while closer to 80% of men are. 20% of 20% is about 4% of all women are likely to be interested in these fields. (Yes, I know statistics don't work like that, but I am simplifying.) In contrast, 80% of 20% would be 16% of all men. This would make men 4 times as likely to enter these fields if these numbers were fairly accurate.
Where are your numbers from? I've read that 25% of the population are introverts, and that 2/3 of the males have a thinking preference compared to 1/3 of the females. With these numbers, 1/6 of the males and 1/12 of the females would have both I and T preferences. (Does Introverted Thinking lead to Information Technology? Quite possibly.) Anyway, this would gives us a male:female ratio of 2:1 rather than the 4:1 you arrived at.
The information above is from at least one of the following books (I forget which):
Type Talk by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen
Do What You Are by Barbara Barron-Tieger
Assuming my numbers are accurate, it would seem that any notion of someday achieving parity between men and women in computing is probably unrealistic. A better target would be, say, 30-35% women.
As for special initiatives and programs directed at increasing the number of women in computing, I'm not sure they're a good thing. If I'm accepted into an academic program or hired for a job, I'd like to know that it's because I was qualified, and not because I happened to possess a perfectly matched pair of............X chromosomes. Correspondingly, if I'm rejected in either of the above pursuits, I don't care if it had anything to do with my being female. Why would I want to study/work with people who dislike women? I'll take my brain somewhere else, where it'll be appreciated, thank you. Oddly enough, my present boss has a big problem with competent women. She's managed to drive away two so far, and I'm about to dust off my resume. While there are certainly sexist people in this world, we would do well to remember that not all of them are men...
In a similar vein, I think that news shows are becoming more and more entertainment-oriented and less informational. Shows like "Hard Copy" have already crossed the line; I hardly count them as 'news shows'. Again, it seems to be a ploy by the networks to attract more viewers, by presenting what they think will be a more enjoyable broadcast. This is also responsible for the high number of 'local interest' news stories, like "Child Athlete of the Week" or somesuch.
Once upon a time, TV newscasts showed us things that the networks thought we should hear about. (Granted, their opinions on this weren't always entirely unbiased.) Now, TV newscasts tend to show us things that the networks think we want to hear about.
It's the path of least resistance. The same thing has happened to the movies -- sequels and remakes galore, and fewer original storylines.
Heck, it's even happened to dictionaries. Dictionaries used to be prescriptive -- they told you how words should be used. Many current dictionaries are now descriptive -- they tell you how most people are using the words these days (no matter how bizarre said usage may be). "Hey, if most people think that 'impact' is a verb, far be it from us to tell them that they're wrong."
I don't know if there's any way to change any of this. Probably not. Perhaps someday there will be only one news story, and it will be covered 24 hours a day on every channel. Everyone will find this story irresistably compelling. Legions of people will spend their entire lives glued to their screens, unable to summon the will to do anything else. Aieee..... ---
You: I am requesting that you, a designated representative of Columbia House, remove my number from your dialing list immediatly. If you call this number again, I will be forced to take legal action, do you understand?
If you request that a corporation remove your number from their lists, they legally have to do it!
Well, not quite. I quote from my copy of the Toronto phone book:
"... telemarketing organizations must comply with a customer's request not to be contacted again. The customer's name and telephone number must be removed from calling lists within... 30 days of the request... Your request to be on a 'do not call' list remains in effect for three years."
So, if you're in Canada and Columbia House is tying up your phone line, give them the above explanation, get the caller's name (better still, talk to their supervisor or manager), note the date and time of the call, and keep the info on file. If they call you again more than 30 days and less than 3 years later, then you have a case. Taping the call isn't going to help, unless you have some way to datestamp the recording.
Slashdot Mirror
Where are your numbers from? I've read that 25% of the population are introverts, and that 2/3 of the males have a thinking preference compared to 1/3 of the females. With these numbers, 1/6 of the males and 1/12 of the females would have both I and T preferences. (Does Introverted Thinking lead to Information Technology? Quite possibly.) Anyway, this would gives us a male:female ratio of 2:1 rather than the 4:1 you arrived at.
The information above is from at least one of the following books (I forget which):
Type Talk by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen
Do What You Are by Barbara Barron-Tieger
Assuming my numbers are accurate, it would seem that any notion of someday achieving parity between men and women in computing is probably unrealistic. A better target would be, say, 30-35% women.
As for special initiatives and programs directed at increasing the number of women in computing, I'm not sure they're a good thing. If I'm accepted into an academic program or hired for a job, I'd like to know that it's because I was qualified, and not because I happened to possess a perfectly matched pair of............X chromosomes. Correspondingly, if I'm rejected in either of the above pursuits, I don't care if it had anything to do with my being female. Why would I want to study/work with people who dislike women? I'll take my brain somewhere else, where it'll be appreciated, thank you. Oddly enough, my present boss has a big problem with competent women. She's managed to drive away two so far, and I'm about to dust off my resume. While there are certainly sexist people in this world, we would do well to remember that not all of them are men...
/*
#include "braap.h"
#include "p.h"
#include "cas.h"
#define MAX_ALE 5
void DrinkBeer(int pints) {
}
int main(void) {
}
*/
Once upon a time, TV newscasts showed us things that the networks thought we should hear about. (Granted, their opinions on this weren't always entirely unbiased.) Now, TV newscasts tend to show us things that the networks think we want to hear about.
It's the path of least resistance. The same thing has happened to the movies -- sequels and remakes galore, and fewer original storylines.
Heck, it's even happened to dictionaries. Dictionaries used to be prescriptive -- they told you how words should be used. Many current dictionaries are now descriptive -- they tell you how most people are using the words these days (no matter how bizarre said usage may be). "Hey, if most people think that 'impact' is a verb, far be it from us to tell them that they're wrong."
I don't know if there's any way to change any of this. Probably not. Perhaps someday there will be only one news story, and it will be covered 24 hours a day on every channel. Everyone will find this story irresistably compelling. Legions of people will spend their entire lives glued to their screens, unable to summon the will to do anything else. Aieee.....
---
To legally prevent them from ever calling again,
... 30 days of the request ... Your request to be on a 'do not call' list remains in effect for three years."
You: I am requesting that you, a designated representative of Columbia House, remove my number from your dialing list immediatly. If you call this number again, I will be forced to take legal action, do you understand?
If you request that a corporation remove your number from their lists, they legally have to do it!
Well, not quite. I quote from my copy of the Toronto phone book:
"... telemarketing organizations must comply with a customer's request not to be contacted again. The customer's name and telephone number must be removed from calling lists within
So, if you're in Canada and Columbia House is tying up your phone line, give them the above explanation, get the caller's name (better still, talk to their supervisor or manager), note the date and time of the call, and keep the info on file. If they call you again more than 30 days and less than 3 years later, then you have a case. Taping the call isn't going to help, unless you have some way to datestamp the recording.
------