So, this is a situation that has been bothering me for at least the past year, if not past two years. I've done a lot of observation regarding this bizarre phenomenon, and I don't have a satisfactory answer.
Basically, what I've seen is that, as a stereotype, most females and non-straight males do not get along well with computers. DISCLAIMER: I am assuming that non-straight males fall under the same category as females throughout my mini-rant. This is merely to simplify the text both for me and for you. Now, onto my... dissertation into insanity!
Why do women and non-straight men not get along well with computers? What is it about computers that only pull in geeky guys, most of whom are straight? Of course, I fit that stereotype perfectly myself. I'm a geeky Computer Science/Interactive Multimedia major. I spend over 40 hours a week coding, staring, surfing the Internet, and playing games, all with my computer. In fact, as I write this blog post, I'm in Holman Hall, working on building an Artificial Intelligence that will hopefully be able to semi-intelligently play the game of Checkers.
But honestly, who cares about me in this case? I fit the stereotype, and no one thinks differently. About me, at least. That's an entirely different rant, and totally not related to this class at all.
One study I've read (I think it was a study? Long time ago) stated that women shy away from Math, Computers, etc... "the Sciences"... because they assume that those fields take too much time, and many women, as per the study, want to take the time to have a family. Obviously, having a job in one of those fields will take time away from said family, keeping women from working in "the Sciences."
Now, that's a funny observation from that study. I know for a fact that our class has a female Physics Ed major and a female Chemistry major. Clearly, the study isn't all-inclusive.
Another article I've read states that computers are "too technical" for women. The amount of effort necessary to truly understand an operate a computer is much more than they are willing to expend that effort to be a part of the industry. Well, let's be honest. Most straight males are in the same boat, so I can't imagine that there can't be a certain percentage of women who are into computers.
It's true, there are female Computer Science majors. There's one in my graduating class, two or three in the successive graduating class... and that's where I no longer have any idea about the numbers. Percentage-wise, that does NOT get anywhere CLOSE to the sex distribution of TCNJ.
And quickly, to point out why I lumped non-straight males into the "female" category for this rant, I will simply say this. After mentally reviewing all of the class lists of my previous and current CS courses, I can honestly say that I highly doubt any of the males in the classes (some classes were solely male) identified as anything but straight. Weirdly enough (to kill another stereotype), most had steady girlfriends. Go figure.
Really, what it comes down to is the fact that I have NO idea why this phenomenon exists. And throughout it all, I can't ignore the fact that the CS Faculty ratio is approximately 60:40, females:males. Just like TCNJ averages.
So, I leave it to you. What are your thoughts on this?
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4 comments:
I remember hearing about studies that had been done to analyze areas in which men and women naturally excel. For example, men were thought to do better in math & sciences as opposed to women who did better in creative areas. I don’t know if that has held up over time, but I always assumed it was somehow biological and linked to general ability or core competencies. I never really thought much about how constructed gender roles might influence or moderate those results.
I actually worked for a while in the IT field as a programmer, and enjoyed it very much. It wasn’t something I planned, but I ended up sort of falling into it. It is interesting that when I finally did settle on a serious career path, I did a 180 and ended up moving towards the I/O Psychology/Human Resources – that’s much more of a traditional female role – very touchy feely. To echo your comments, one of the main reasons I decided to leave IT altogether was because it left me very little time to dedicate towards school and other interests.
I have also taken psychology courses and learned that men in general do excel better in the math and science department whereas females are better in the creative field. I feel that in general this is portrayed, even here at TCNJ.But there are certainly females who are extremely talented in math and science as well.
I am not exactly sure why most Computer Science majors fit the mold that you described- the so called geeky guy- but I can say that I personally do not think that it is because of the amount of time dedicated to this field. I think that any major/profession requires time to excel in.
Furthermore, although I am not a computer science major, I am a graphic design major. The amount of time I spend I spend on the computer is sickening and, although I am not an expert about the make-up of the computer per say, I do know how to operate myriads of programs. I also spend ridiculous amounts of time in Holman too!
You know, this is quite an interesting topic because I've actually taken note of this phenomenon as well. I personally feel that women have the ability to equally excel in the mathematics, sciences, and engineering fields as do men, but because of the battle for time, work, and the family, working in such fields becomes a strenuous.
In addition, for other women, having a major in these kinds of fields are just not an option for them because of the stereotype that computers or technical fields as such are masculine. In other words, its not "girly" enough for women! As a female, I don't look at math, sciences, or even computers to be intimidating. In fact, I'm actually a psychology major on a pre-med track. This means that I've taken and still will take various science and math courses and luckily, I've been performing well. But one big observation I've had while in these courses, is that males do outnumber females, yet the females that are in these classes seem to always be at the top of the class in performance. Why? I don't know?!
An observation well noted I might add.
I find the whole idea of women not good with computers completely absurd. The studies show that men have a bit more natural ability with math, but in my experiences the women and men are just as prolific with computers. It appears as though the men just get a little too sucked into their toys. Of my friends I think I fall about in the middle of being computer literate, but at least half of the girls are better than I am.
It does appear that those people who are truly gifted with computers are almost exclusively male from my experiences.
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