

‘The Innovators’ by Walter Isaacson: How Women Shaped Technology - johnny99
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/fashion/the-innovators-by-walter-isaacson-how-women-shaped-technology.html?_r=1

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omonra
Is it just me or does the writer experience a sudden breakdown of logic half-
way through - ie when he gets to modern times?

"The exclusion of these women has not only reinforced stereotypes about women
and technology, but has arguably had a self-fulfilling effect. In 1985, 37
percent of computer science undergraduate degrees were earned by women. By
2010, that number had fallen by half to 18 percent. Now just 0.4 percent of
all female college freshmen say they plan to major in computer science."

So women were excluded from technology back in the day. Then - around 1985
there was a resurgence of women in IT, which puttered out and crashed today.

Listening to this narrative you'd imagine that US experienced some sort of
Taliban takeover in mid-80s which prevented women from going into CS.

But if one actually considers all other available statistics, US has been
getting more egalitarian (gender-wise) and women are actually outperforming
men in education between mid 80s and today.

So maybe, just maybe, it's not about discrimination (overt, covert or
whatever)?

------
sawks
filed under "fashion & style"? :/

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r0tr8t
[http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/06/8547112/...](http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2014/06/8547112/emnew-
york-timesem-nick-bilton-jumps-tech-styles)

