In 1988, 64 percent of Engineers were women in USSR
Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
31–40 of 359 posts
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#32It's because Russia isn't a particularly nice place to live. From the article: > Most of the girls we talked to from other countries had a slightly playful approach to Stem, whereas in Russia, even the very youngest were extremely focused on the fact that their future employment opportunities were more likely to be rooted in Stem subjects. They do tech because it provides a way of getting a good life. In the West, wh…
Without engaging in any of the rest of your comment, I'm going to call out again the attempt to shift goalposts from tech to STEM in general. Tech people want to believe that the gender disparity in their field is shared among all the STEM fields, but, of course, it is not: women are far better represented in other STEM fields. Computer science, physics, and engineering have similarly acute gender disparity. The rest of the STEM fields --- including mathematics --- have closer to 50/50, and some STEM fields, like molecular biology, have better than 50% representation of women.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
IQ is highly heritable[1], and if smart people are having zero or one children, that should be of concern to everyone. It's possible that nutrition + butts in school seats created the Flynn effect, where the population's IQ rose. The next century might see the reverse. [1] Per gwern: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13729085
Are you saying people in Europe, north America, and Russia are smarter than people in the rest of the world?
How does they say this?
Smarter people get fewer children. IQ is inheritable. This only says we get more and more dumber people around the world in general. Maybe parts of the world with more births get the m faster than the rest, but still everyone gets them.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#34my guess: a cultural and social value placed on STEM subjects. My personal theory is that young women in the West are less likely to get into tech because they are seen as stuffy, the domain of greybeards and model train enthusiasts. Don't forget that people generally pick up their core interest in subjects at a young age where social value and coolness are some of the most important personal objectives (early teen y…
I don't want to repeat this comment but worry that I'll have to:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14164886
There is major disparity in tech, but it is not a problem common to all STEM fields.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#35Maybe because like men all over the world, Russian women aren't specially "encouraged" to go into tech? Maybe nobody has to tell them or tell anyone to 'like science'. People just do. The same argument goes for women in science. Albert Einstein was told he wouldn't amount to much. Doesn't mean he 'got discouraged' and quit physics. That's not why we do science - for public appreciation - we do it because we love it n…
Do you have any data on this? I'd be willing to bet women are nowhere near as interested in a pure science career in Russia as they are in IT.
I think it has to do with psycho-evolutionary factors -- men have much more incentives to take risks, women much more so to play it safe.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#36Russia has a very low birth rate for native Russians. Here in the US, having kids and working in engineering is difficult. My wife took 5 years off and it has definitely affected her pay and advancement. Low pay and little vacation maybe have something to do with it too. Both the wife and I are engineers. Our daughter shows no interest in tech. She does like to mix stuff, so maybe Chem E. Though I'm not going to prod…
>STEM just does not pay over the long term. Whaa? What's your definition of pay? Anyway, IMO no prodding needed - expose the child to a wide variety of things, and then help them find and nurture their passion.
$100k - $200k long term (ages 30 - 67). STEM has initial high pay, but tops out by middle age. Late middle age, or 55+, and you are a target for elimination.
My coworkers daughter and her husband are both accountants. In their mid 30's they are doing much better than any STEM majors. They will both be firm partners by 40. +200k salaries for two people over 27 years (not that they'd work to 67 anyway).
I know of a mechanical engineer who went into finance. Not a quant, or even in NY. Just a manager for VISA. Her bonus is larger than my salary, and so is her salary.
STEM, well really TE, need to bank that initial high salary for, often forced, early retirement. SM majors, you are just fucked.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you saying people in Europe, north America, and Russia are smarter than people in the rest of the world?
Across East Asia birth rates are also well below replacement levels. A lot of the world's population growth is coming from rapid increases in Africa.
I mean the fact that you went and registered a throwaway to head down the path you're intending to gives away what you are really thinking.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you saying people in Europe, north America, and Russia are smarter than people in the rest of the world?
How does they say this? Smarter people get fewer children. IQ is inheritable. This only says we get more and more dumber people around the world in general. Maybe parts of the world with more births get the m faster than the rest, but still everyone gets them.
The OP said they are concerned with birth rates in those countries and they replied to the question why with a post about IQ.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#39Is it? I had one female engineer at my previous job, and one female engineer at my current job. Out of a medium-sized team.
Some other less-technical positions held by women, still much less than 50%.
Re: Why is Russia so good at encouraging women into tech?
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Across East Asia birth rates are also well below replacement levels. A lot of the world's population growth is coming from rapid increases in Africa.
I mean the fact that you went and registered a throwaway to head down the path you're intending to gives away what you are really thinking.
Well if you try a different path - if low birth rates occur when societies are highly developed, what happens when this effect reaches Africa?