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When Women Stopped Coding

npr.org

31–40 of 190 posts

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#31

Maybe just a total coincidence, but the mid-80's is also the time when media and authorities started their witch hunt against hackers and the word "hacker" became equal to "criminal". Basically, in the mid-80's the predominant media image of computer engineers was either social outcast of criminal. Gee, wonder why women weren't attracted to that.

>> Gee, wonder why women weren't attracted to that.

And men were, because...?

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#32

Maybe just a total coincidence, but the mid-80's is also the time when media and authorities started their witch hunt against hackers and the word "hacker" became equal to "criminal". Basically, in the mid-80's the predominant media image of computer engineers was either social outcast of criminal. Gee, wonder why women weren't attracted to that.

This argument seems to rest on the assumption that women are fundamentally more susceptible to decisions based on stereotypes than men are. Do you have any evidence both that this is the case, and that any measurable difference (if there is one) is significant enough to blame for this effect?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/evolution/9005552/Men-twi...

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#33
post #18
post #14

This same graph used in the article was extensively discussed on reddit 3 days ago. [1] I want to quote some of the comments, which I think is extremely important to this discussion. " The far simpler answer is that the 1970's "explosion" of women into the (purported) field of "computer science" was largely women obtaining degrees in (what were then "computer science" courses) the subfields of "Data Processing" and l…

The account that made that comment is a frequent poster in mens rights & friends subreddits, and probably should not be taken without a SUBSTANIAL grain of salt (particularly given the lack of any data to back it up)

Is that not ad hominem? Attack the content of his post, not the content of his character.

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#34
post #26
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The account that made that comment is a frequent poster in mens rights & friends subreddits, and probably should not be taken without a SUBSTANIAL grain of salt (particularly given the lack of any data to back it up)

I tend to agree that his comments should be taken with a grain of salt. I am curious if anyone here has a more definitive set of data.

You mean besides the Planet Money episode, which was well-researched and extensively sourced, with interviews of people who actually study the issue and are not radical mens' rights advocates?

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#35
[...] when personal computers started showing up in U.S. homes [...]

Doesn't anecdotal evidence suggest that children quickly exceed their mentors (parents) when exposed to 1980s consumer hardware? (That hardware was deterministic--same key sequence means same result every time. You know, like video games from the same era.)

Being exceeded by your child can be a dramatic emotional event. Are the feelings that a father or mother experience different when the child is a little girl vs. a little boy?

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#36

This story makes a compelling case that women stopped programming because - 1. Computers started being sold as consumer products - 2. They were marketed almost exclusively to boys - 3. Boys played with computers and learned about them, while girls were made to feel that computers weren't for them - 3. Men showed up to college with more computer experience - 4. Women felt they must not be "naturally good" at computers…

I find this explanation extremely hollow. Most programmers didn't start programming when they were kids. They started when they realized it was a good paycheck.

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#37
I have 15 year old daughter and would love to get her more interested in computer science. She is doing good in school getting A in math/science, etc.

Any suggestions from HN on how best to guide her interests?

Extra project? incentive?

For now, her interests are typical teenage - school clubs, facebook, youtube, tumblr, etc.

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#38

Maybe just a total coincidence, but the mid-80's is also the time when media and authorities started their witch hunt against hackers and the word "hacker" became equal to "criminal". Basically, in the mid-80's the predominant media image of computer engineers was either social outcast of criminal. Gee, wonder why women weren't attracted to that.

This argument seems to rest on the assumption that women are fundamentally more susceptible to decisions based on stereotypes than men are. Do you have any evidence both that this is the case, and that any measurable difference (if there is one) is significant enough to blame for this effect?

Not necessarily based on stereotypes, but rather what's more accepted by society.

Men are usually the outliers. (See % of male prisoners)

Note that he also said "Maybe just a total coincidence".

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#39
post #14

This same graph used in the article was extensively discussed on reddit 3 days ago. [1] I want to quote some of the comments, which I think is extremely important to this discussion. " The far simpler answer is that the 1970's "explosion" of women into the (purported) field of "computer science" was largely women obtaining degrees in (what were then "computer science" courses) the subfields of "Data Processing" and l…

The views in that comment are completely unsubstantiated. There was no evidence presented that "data processing" was ever taught as part of or categorized as computer science. In fact, later comments debunk that viewpoint. Also worth noting that the person who wrote that subscribes to the Men Going Their Own Way movement [1] (his username is thrownaway_MGTOW), which while not an outright debunking of his claims, shou…

I agree, it is clear that the author seems to have a bit of a bias. (I guess you can also tell from his tone)

Although the "debunk" wasn't very clear. With some posters that also saying that their family members indeed obtained data entry degree in computer science

http://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/2joexk/what...

Hard to make a judgement call, but I think the truth is probably not as clear cut as NPR suggests

Re: When Women Stopped Coding

#40
post #33
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The account that made that comment is a frequent poster in mens rights & friends subreddits, and probably should not be taken without a SUBSTANIAL grain of salt (particularly given the lack of any data to back it up)

Is that not ad hominem? Attack the content of his post, not the content of his character.

Goes to credibility. When you're talking about a post with zero evidence presented, sometimes it really is more believable coming from Neil Degrasse Tyson versus the guy who believes in Timecube.
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