Live data from Hacker News

Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

backchannel.com

1–10 of 12 posts

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#2
Nothing is keeping women from going into tech right now. In fact, there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going. I think it's time to accept the fact that men and women are psychologically different in some ways. That's not a good or bad thing, it's just reality.

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#4

Nothing is keeping women from going into tech right now. In fact, there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going. I think it's time to accept the fact that men and women are psychologically different in some ways. That's not a good or bad thing, it's just reality.

Straight from the article:

When I was in school in the 1980s, women got about 37 percent of computer science degrees and law degrees then. Law went up to 47 percent now. In medicine, we were at 28 percent in 1984. That’s gone up to 48 percent. Computer science went from 37 percent to 18 percent.

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#5

Nothing is keeping women from going into tech right now. In fact, there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going. I think it's time to accept the fact that men and women are psychologically different in some ways. That's not a good or bad thing, it's just reality.

> there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going

You don't think it's worth at least looking at why that is? What does "psychologically different" mean? If we're saying they are genetically less disposed to enter tech as career then no, I doubt there's a lot we can do. But something tells me that isn't the case at all.

What if they're "psychologically different" because our education system and culture drives them away from engineering-y, logical careers and into more personable, "soft" industries? Shouldn't we be able to take a second look at that culture and that education system?

Note that this goes both ways. How many boys out there would make fantastic fashion designers, carers or teachers, but are dissuaded from those careers because they're not "masculine" enough?

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#6
post #5

Nothing is keeping women from going into tech right now. In fact, there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going. I think it's time to accept the fact that men and women are psychologically different in some ways. That's not a good or bad thing, it's just reality.

> there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going You don't think it's worth at least looking at why that is? What does "psychologically different" mean? If we're saying they are genetically less disposed to enter tech as career then no, I doubt there's a lot we can do. But something tells me that isn't the case at all. What if they're "psychologically different" because our edu…

So what if the differences in gender are because of educational and cultural reasons? There's always this assumption that all differences between genders are terrible, but I don't really see why this is the case.

Honestly, the only reason I see this being done is so the labor pool for tech workers can go up(and thus pay would go down).

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#7
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going You don't think it's worth at least looking at why that is? What does "psychologically different" mean? If we're saying they are genetically less disposed to enter tech as career then no, I doubt there's a lot we can do. But something tells me that isn't the case at all. What if they're "psychologically different" because our edu…

So what if the differences in gender are because of educational and cultural reasons? There's always this assumption that all differences between genders are terrible, but I don't really see why this is the case. Honestly, the only reason I see this being done is so the labor pool for tech workers can go up(and thus pay would go down).

Why would it not be the case? That people are forced into careers they don't actually want because of cultural pressure?

And you're OK with this because it helps ensure you have a high salary?

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#8
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what if the differences in gender are because of educational and cultural reasons? There's always this assumption that all differences between genders are terrible, but I don't really see why this is the case. Honestly, the only reason I see this being done is so the labor pool for tech workers can go up(and thus pay would go down).

Why would it not be the case? That people are forced into careers they don't actually want because of cultural pressure? And you're OK with this because it helps ensure you have a high salary?

Forced? Women aren't forced to stay out of the tech industry right now.

Re: Melinda Gates' new mission: getting more women in tech

#9
post #4

Nothing is keeping women from going into tech right now. In fact, there are all sorts of incentives for them to go into tech and they're STILL not going. I think it's time to accept the fact that men and women are psychologically different in some ways. That's not a good or bad thing, it's just reality.

Straight from the article: When I was in school in the 1980s, women got about 37 percent of computer science degrees and law degrees then. Law went up to 47 percent now. In medicine, we were at 28 percent in 1984. That’s gone up to 48 percent. Computer science went from 37 percent to 18 percent.

That is a good point. I've tried to think of a good argument against this, but I haven't been able to come up with one. It's an odd statistic, since the ratio of women to men in college has been going up & women have been encouraged to go into STEM fields for a while now.
Post reply on HN