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posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 11 2018, @11:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the controversial-topics dept.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Over the last several months, I’ve witnessed many controversial discussions among my friends, in my San Francisco community, and on online forums about James Demore’s memorandum. People of both genders are wrestling with the fact that fewer women go into computer science and trying to find explanations that balance their experience, empathy, and ethical aspirations. I’ve heard lots of good-intentioned people consider discouraging theories of biological superiority because they can’t find any other compelling explanation (like this post on HackerNews, for example). As a woman who studied computer science, worked at some of the top tech firms, and has founded a software startup, I’d like to share my take on why fewer women go into CS and my opinion on how to address the issue.

[...] I graduated from Stanford with a BS in Mathematical & Computational Sciences in 2015, interned at Apple as a software engineer, and worked as an Associate Product Manager at Google 2015-2017. In October, I founded a video editing website called Kapwing and am working on the startup full-time. Although I’m only 25, I’ve already seen many of my female friends choose majors/careers outside of STEM and have been inside of many predominately-male classes, organizations, and teams.

This article is one person’s humble perspective, and I do not speak for every woman in tech. But hopefully having the view of someone who has “been there” can help people trying to understand why there are fewer women in tech.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday May 12 2018, @02:15AM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday May 12 2018, @02:15AM (#678663) Journal

    Many of this type of article starts out, harps on, and summarizes with demonizing males for being douchebags toward women.

    Here, we have a nod to social and psychological differences, with an acknowledgement that evolution plays a part in it. Very cool - men and women are different, and the author understands that. And, she goes on to point out how society (social pressures!!) prevent women from going into STEM. And, finally, she does acknowledge that some people are just assholes.

    I may not use her terminology, because of course, I'm a different person than she is. But, she does have her shit together. She is not yet another whining bitch, demanding that people change to accommodate her. Ms Enthoven deserves some respect for being where she is, and what she is. She also deserves some respect for understanding the world better than most.

    Now, can we stop whining that women are under represented? Can we also respect women who don't even want to work outside the home? Is it alright to respect those women who go into nursing, teaching, secretarial, or whatever they care to go into?

    I say women can be respectable even if they are not top engineers. A woman - hell, even a man - can be respectable if they never take a single STEM course.

    Respect. Everyone should use it.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 12 2018, @06:51AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 12 2018, @06:51AM (#678735)

    Many of this type of article starts out, harps on, and summarizes with demonizing males for being douchebags toward women

    Not all males, just Republican governors, Southern good 'ol boys, hillbilly bigots, and Runaway1966, oh, and Donald "J" Trump. Doucebags!