
Getting Girls Into Programming, One Children’s Book At A Time - ibsathish
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/03/liukas-hello-ruby/
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sdegutis
> _There are just not enough women in the pipeline starting from as early as
> K-12 schools._

This is the statement that loses me. The author seems to state it as if it's a
given. But who is deciding there "aren't enough"? What is this supposedly
ideal number ("enough") based on? Serious question.

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xacaxulu
Agreed. What about all the other professions where women are under
represented. I don't see a lot of Teach Girls Construction or Get Girls
Sniping in Afghanistan. And I don't mean that in a snarky way. The Soviets
actually found that female snipers were superior due to steady hands, better
perception at distance and a significantly lower incidence of colour blindess.
They even had a complete female sniper platoon. The inverse of this is
interesting too. You don't see anyone saying "There aren't enough men in
healthcare" even though it's roughly 80% female. Women are a majority in
universities, advertising, human resources and insurance along with a slew of
other awesome fields. This imagined lack of opportunity is well intentioned
but ultimately like 40 years too late and at this point in time, without
merit. If anything needs to be addressed with regards to women's careers, it's
that they don't get paid the same as men and that's a real problem. Get worked
up about pay parity first. People self select for what THEY WANT to do. Stop
blasting your personal definition of equality onto cognizant humans with
phrases like "there just aren't enough".

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sdegutis
The argument you may hear in response is that many don't have an opportunity
to self-select because of gender biases which prevent them from being aware
that they have the power to.

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gametheoretic
Not a direct article comment:

I'm asking this to anyone who supports the activist approach to the women in
tech problem. a) If you had to put a number on it, what would you deem the
percentage chance that this school of thought is actually wrong, and b) what
are the consequences if it is?

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anologwintermut
While not gender specific: I think this[1] is the worst case possible
consequence of focusing on getting 5 - 7 year olds of any gender involved in
programing: it turns into the awful system that is math education many
countries.

    
    
        A musician wakes from a terrible nightmare. In his dream he finds    
        himself in a society where music education has been made mandatory. 
       "We are helping our students become more competitive in an increasingly 
        sound-filled world." Educators, school systems, and the state are put 
        in charge of this vital project. Studies are commissioned, committees 
        are formed, and decisions are made — all without the advice or 
        participation of a single working musician or composer.
        ...
    
    

[1][http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/devlin/LockhartsL...](http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)

