You have a very valid point. Whether or not a person is guilty should not be decided by their sex, but by their actions. Not doing this is, by definition, descriminiation. Of course, saying that women can't hack it in CS suffers from the same problem.
Why is this a problem? Why are we whinging about this difference?
Even if women are being unfairly passed over (which I do not believe to be the case and if it were the case, would be a problem in need of addressing), what is being suggested here violates the very tenets of feminism (which, I can only imagine, is the motive of at least some). The fact that a comparison between the ratio of male to female developers and teh ratio of male to female consumers is being made indicates that people believe men and women have different things to offer and even more, that men cannot offer the same things as women.
Feminism at its core is something I agree with and participate in. Feminism is defined by http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=feminism as 'Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.' Equality of the sexes cannot exist when society so firmly believes that men cannot offer what women can (or conversely, that women cannot offer what men can). I object to the viewpoint (whether consciously or subconsciously adopted) which has permeated our society that women are better than men, or at least that women are worth more and have more to our society than men (of course, a conscientious reader would ask me to justify this position, and I can, but it would take too long and not be worth it).
Realistically, a twenty per-cent difference from developers to consumers is not something worth a fuss.
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You have a very valid point. Whether or not a person is guilty should not be decided by their sex, but by their actions. Not doing this is, by definition, descriminiation. Of course, saying that women can't hack it in CS suffers from the same problem.
Why is this a problem? Why are we whinging about this difference? Even if women are being unfairly passed over (which I do not believe to be the case and if it were the case, would be a problem in need of addressing), what is being suggested here violates the very tenets of feminism (which, I can only imagine, is the motive of at least some). The fact that a comparison between the ratio of male to female developers and teh ratio of male to female consumers is being made indicates that people believe men and women have different things to offer and even more, that men cannot offer the same things as women. Feminism at its core is something I agree with and participate in. Feminism is defined by http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=feminism as 'Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.' Equality of the sexes cannot exist when society so firmly believes that men cannot offer what women can (or conversely, that women cannot offer what men can). I object to the viewpoint (whether consciously or subconsciously adopted) which has permeated our society that women are better than men, or at least that women are worth more and have more to our society than men (of course, a conscientious reader would ask me to justify this position, and I can, but it would take too long and not be worth it). Realistically, a twenty per-cent difference from developers to consumers is not something worth a fuss.