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From: ccc@cwruecmp.UUCP (Case Computer Club)
Newsgroups: net.social,net.women,net.singles
Subject: Re: Is Computing Gender Specific?
Message-ID: <649@cwruecmp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 31-Aug-83 15:17:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: cwruecmp.649
Posted: Wed Aug 31 15:17:45 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Sep-83 05:50:58 EDT
References: <527@houxm.UUCP>
Organization: CWRU Computer Engr. Cleveland, Ohio
Lines: 35

I suppose that most people who live/work/play/whatever with computers
have noticed the preponderance of males.  In my experience, the reason
for this is mainly due to the stereotypical connotations of the words
``engineer'' and ``programmer''.  The major hurdle seems to be getting
people started.  I suspect the situation is similar to the prevalent
opinion on the part of women (again, in _m_y experience) that
mechanical devices are incomprehensible.  How they can have this
opinion and function in a reasonably modern kitchen is beyond me, but
I'm getting off the subject.

Engineering/computing/design/analysis/etc. is not gender-specific
except in a social sense.  Here at CWRU (whose male/female ratio is
quite large) the women in technical fields far outdistance the men in
many cases.  Even outside of the engineering and academic communities
this is true.  I will give an example.

A young woman of whom I am very fond is currently pursuing a double
major in Linguistics and Philosophy.  She is managing her math
courses, although doesn't particularly like them.  This past spring
her family bought an IBM PC.  After playing with it and taking an
introductory computer course, she expressed suprise at how interesting
and (horrors!) _f_u_n it was.  It took a while for me to figure
out what she meant, but I finally figured it out.  It took some actual
experience for her to realize that the essence of working with
computers is problem-solving.  The important thing is knowing how to
define a problem and come up with a series of steps that can be
followed to solve it.  Actually, I suppose that applies to engineering
and almost any occupation as well.  If more women realized this then I
suspect we would have more in ``technical'' fields.

Rational replies welcome; no flames please.

				--Clayton Elwell
				--Case Computer Club