Posted on 11/15/2008 8:33:25 PM PST by neverdem
Digital Domain
ELLEN SPERTUS, a graduate student at M.I.T., wondered why the computer camp she had attended as a girl had a boy-girl ratio of six to one. And why were only 20 percent of computer science undergraduates at M.I.T. female? She published a 124-page paper, “Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?”, that catalogued different cultural biases that discouraged girls and women from pursuing a career in the field. The year was 1991.
Computer science has changed considerably since then. Now, there are even fewer women entering the field. Why this is so remains a matter of dispute.
What’s particularly puzzling is that the explanations for under-representation of women that were assembled back in 1991 applied to all technical fields. Yet women have achieved broad parity with men in almost every other technical pursuit. When all science and engineering fields are considered, the percentage of bachelor’s degree recipients who are women has improved to 51 percent in 2004-5 from 39 percent in 1984-85, according to National Science Foundation surveys.
When one looks at computer science in particular, however, the proportion of women has been falling. In 2001-2, only 28 percent of all undergraduate degrees in computer science went to women. By 2004-5, the number had declined to only 22 percent. Data collected by the Computing Research Association showed even fewer women at research universities like M.I.T.: women accounted for only 12 percent of undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering in the United States and Canada granted in 2006-7 by Ph.D.-granting institutions, down from 19 percent in 2001-2. Many computer science departments report that women now make up less than 10 percent of the newest undergraduates.
In 1998, when Ms. Spertus received her Ph.D. in computer science, women received 14 percent of the doctorates granted in the field...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I know the new graduates are asking more than the managers that have worked awhile. I’m guessing that means over 100K.
It’s pretty common for engineers to make over 100K with experience, but it’s not common straight out of college.
My old home was a 2200 sq ft fixer upper, and it is going for around 1 million! Crazy!
Clearly, something has driven women out of CS. Women couldn't possibly be choosing not to go into the field.
Must be a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Evil jerks just wanna keep women barefoot and pregnant.
Women should look at computer science as a really good way to make some money before they have kids, if they want to stay home. I got through school paying my own way - no loans - and then grad school was funded, and I’ve had a software engineering job for two years now. It paid off big time when my husband lost his job this summer.
Now we’re moving and I hope to find something temporary until April when our baby’s born. After that? Maybe I’ll find some contracting. Maybe not. I had fun and I made money and I’m not in debt for a useless degree.
>>The group with the highest number of isolated introverts was park rangers. The second group was IS professionals.
Hey, I’m moving in the right direction! Out of the Park Service into programming...next I’ll be a cruise ship host.
This is my suggestion to women who want to go in to Computer Science and also want to have kids. While your in college, take some education classes and get a teaching certificate.
There are lots of teaching jobs available, but they want you to have a teaching certificate (even in private schools). Teaching is a good job to have when your kids are in school. If your kids go to a private school, most of the time there are also discounts for tuition for teachers.
I just read this in our local newspaper:
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_10987276?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
It looks like times are starting to change.
My husband’s company, Synaptics, is even mentioned in the article.
Heh, I went into CS because I am an introvert and don’t like working with people. Teaching other peoples’ children would be a nightmare. I’m gonna homeschool my own kids, that’s different, and I’d love to get a chance to teach part time at a community college, but K12? Just shoot me.
Besides I never could shut up when faced with liberal nonsense. I’d have flunked education classes...
I tend to want to do whatever it takes to get the job done, not worry about hardware details. Yes, I do spec out and order hardware, but once it is in place and doing it's job, I move on and forget about the minutia.
Funny, but true. I’m not in CS myself, but as a function of studying engineering I tend to be around a lot of CSSEs. Some of them are wonderful. Other times it feels like you’re a piece of prime rib in a cage of hungry, socially awkward dobermans. Also, CSSEs tend to have the highest percentage of ‘I have to be right’ types (although engineers in general are pretty bad). It takes a special type of female to put up with a bunch of guys alternately telling her how terribly wrong she is and then asking her out on a date.
Many people cherish his volumes for the answers - very complete - he gives.
Emo is similar to “goth”, but for wimps and pussies.
That is how I'm set up at the moment. It is really perfect.
You sound like me in many respects. A lot of my work is making instruments to replace obsolete equipment. I've graduated to surface mount; and, find it easier and faster than through hole.
I'll check out NUS Instruments, thanks for the tip. That wouldn't interfere with your flow of work from them, would it?
There's good opportunities in nursing, and it's becoming less female dominated. As time goes by, more medical responsibilities are being shifted from MDs to highly trained nurses.
1. They can import the labor from third world countries.
2. Many companies are sending employees to India for treatment and letting the employees pocket part of the savings!
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