NEWS: Shortage of Girl Geeks

CULTURE: Shortage of Girl Geeks

Females make up a very small percentage of the world's "geeks" (computer science and IT careers), possibly due to lowered emphasis in science and math.

Somehow I think that in online communities such as Suicidegirls, the ratio is much more balanced. Hooray for smart, geeky girls!

I always just thought there were less female geeks because the woman that can handle being around so many dorky guys at one time is a rare breed indeed.

in some ways allowing ppl to chose subjects is good but in others bad in my opion all students should be made to take english (equivalent in non english countries) maths and at least a general science so as we all have a basic grounding we need to teach kids how to read write and do simple maths this to me is more important then letting them do subjects they like elective subjects need to be left until students are in there final years of school so as we dont have a hole heap of iliterate delinquents running around

nice call im intended to agree with you hear

Hooray indeed!

Winner winner chicken dinner. Either that or they just get creeped out during the interview process and decide to look for a job elsewhere.

Are people good at science and maths automatically geeks?

Can't one be a history or geography geek, for example?

Then count me in! and add foreign languages to the soup.

Clearly in the US, where I and many of you are from, girls/women are given an equal opportunity to pursue education in maths and sciences. In fact, at least one study has shown a consistent bias on the part of teachers/professors in favor of women and girls at all levels of education. (The study was sponsored by an association here in Washington, DC which was dedicated to promoting equality for women in education. Hence, they were 'hoping' to find bias, but they could not.)

Women/girls do have more-or-less equal educational opportunities. In addition, women who are qualified for and seek 'geeky' jobs are not at a disadvantage in the hiring process, since companies are generally eager to avoid any lawsuits re discrimination in employment, and will jump on the chance to hire a woman for this kind of position. I don't see a problem.

Governmental coercion to force people, in this case women, to take courses they would not choose to take, would result in less freedom for everybody. I believe in freedom and an individual's right to choose. I would think that most people in the Suicide Girls 'community' would agree with me in this.

Whaddaya think?

it's not that women are any less smart or capable. It's actually been shown that women have the competency to score just as high or actually higher than men in the math and sciences. But we tend to shy away from these professions due to the pressure that is put upon us, when we attempt to go into a "male" dominated career. Women face a lot of criticism and are quickly called out on being wrong and pressured when taking a courses to go into what is seen as a male career. And studies have proven that teachers teach males much differently than they do females. This is all a relates back to gender roles in most societies, and how the woman is seen and treated and expected to be. I had never thought about any of this until I took a sociology course last semester that studied the gendered work places etc. At one point we went around the classroom, and there were several women who had stated other majors they had attempted but dropped out of due to the sexism in the classroom. And the teaching in a gendered way, is natural, you will rarely find a teacher who does not treat men differently from women in the classroom when it comes to teaching tactics. okay im rambling....

[Edited on Jan 28, 2006 8:29AM]

Hooray for smart, geeky girls

I couldn't agree more. Much to the geeky girls.

mmmm female brains

As an engineering student I see this everytime I attend class. My class consists of roughly 80 students, 5 of them are female. I konw women aren't going into engineering because they lack the math and science skills. I believe the real reason is the culture inherent in most engineering programs(this seems to include CompSci as well).

I have to agree with the previous poster's comment on gender specific teaching. It seems much of the culture and teaching is very male centric. Professors aren't doing this on purpose it's just the way they were taught.

Why would a woman want to enter a profession where she will always be in the minority? Where she will constantly have to fight small battles due to her gender? I think many women with the math and science skills simply enter similiar fields where the number of women is much higher. Just look at medecine, the majority of doctors graduating now are female.

I don't see this changing much in the next few years because almost every university has had incentives for women to enter engineering programs for the last 10-15 years. Female enrollment in programs is as low as ever today. I think a fundamental change in how the course curriculum is structured and taught needs to occur before more women will consider pursuing Engineering.

[Edited on Jan 28, 2006 10:07AM]

Mathematics and science are logical and relatively deterministic. Both math and science give answers of "it is". Outside those realms, the answers tend to be "I think X, because Y".

The gist is that a core math and science eduation teach logicaly and analytical problem solving. They are relatively unambiguous in their proofs and theorems.

I don't think you can make a jump from additional compulsory math and science education to a higher number of females in technical fields. While I believe in a good grounding in science and math, I do not believe the one is causal of the other.

I have had some very good women work for me. I have worked with some very good women. I have worked for some very good women. I have also had women as raving idiots in all those roles. I have also had men both good and ravings idiots in those same roles. It isn't about mandatory hard science/math education - it is about the individuals desire to learn and achieve.

If you start making more courses mandatory you will have to lower the standards to keep the passing rates acceptable. That is a sad, but very true fact. Learning to think logically and apply analytics isn't something you teach in a few semesters. It has to start at the kindergarten level and continue throughout life. This would require a pretty drastic overhaul of the majority of schools and teaching methods.

i suppose your correct really a geek traditionaly is a computer junkie but this phrase can be turned on any area that someone excels inteluctually and theres nothing hot then a super smart chick wearing glasses and a suit with a top bod

Maybe females are just less likely to enjoy computers? I knew plenty of girls in high school and college that were into science but I can't think of any that were into computer science. Maybe it's just one of those weird genetic things where computers trigger some old bit of DNA in some guys that fewer women have? Or maybe computer nerds just smell bad and females are less likely to put up with that, and their lack of other social graces. Fucking nerds. . .

[Edited on Jan 28, 2006 by MrStitches]

We have a runnning list of single geek girls in my favorite group on here. (Like I'd tell you uninitiated which group )

Fiend!

She doesn't even have to have a top bod to get points in my book. I always go for the cuties and the smart ones over the ones my friends drool over. Yeah shes got a great body (and is usually way too tanned) but sex != relationship... and I have a low tolerance for dumb people.

I was listening to an episode of this american life of npr once, the show was on testosterone. They had a female to male transexual talking about the changes they faced while taking male hormones. There was of course the hair growth, anger problems, increased libido etc.

The weirdest side effect of the male horomones? An increased interest in science.

Coincidence?

does anybody else think it's funny people are writing really long, geeky comments in this thread?

im a girly geek!!

Word

Smart, geeky girls are pretty much my favourite thing on this earth. In fact, if I should end up married some day, I dont think it would be to anyone BUT a smart, geeky girl.

We'll drink to that!