Subject: 'Geek' image scares women away from tech industry • The Register

From: Brian E Carpenter <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:35:03 +0100

Since the topic was raised here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/26/girls_in_ict_day/

Note the comment about the need for role models.

Regards
   Brian

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From: Stephane Bortzmeyer <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:39:56 +0200

On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 09:35:03AM +0100,
 Brian E Carpenter <[email-masked]> wrote 

> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/26/girls_in_ict_day/

So, IETF folklore never scares men? Good. 

I also note that the "prominent women from the technology industry"
invited by the IUT were not technologists at all... The IUT apparently
sees women in technology only as lawyers or managers.

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From: Monique Morrow <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:45:20 -0700

Not quite true -- I participated at this venue btw -- though the comment was
sourced from Nelli Kroes AFAIK

M

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From: Stephane Bortzmeyer <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:45:29 +0200

On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 10:39:56AM +0200,
 Stephane Bortzmeyer <[email-masked]> wrote 
 a message of 13 lines which said:

> invited by the IUT 

s/IUT/ITU/ of course.

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From: Riccardo Bernardini <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:03:53 +0200

I understand that this was the result of a "high-level dialogue"
(whatever that means) among few (how many?) people.  This reminds me
of the "the Emperor of China nose length" problem

  http://imaginatorium.org/stuff/nose.htm

Discussion among a limited group of people is not guaranteed to give
you the "truth,"  in this case the conclusion is maybe more the result
of the preconception of the participants, rather than the real
motivations behind low woman participation in ICT.

In this case the best solution (although not easy to implement) would
be to ask directly to young women: "Are you interested in an ICT
carrer?, If yes, why?  If no, why not?"

My personal (limited, I admit it) experience with my high-school
female co-students, was that most of them  were not interested in
technical stuff, telling them about the latest program for C-64 was
the most efficient algorithm to get them bored.  If you say that
personal interest does not matter and that they should be attracted by
the career opportunities in a field that they do not like, let me beg
to disagree: I had enough negative experiences about people that do
their work only for money, rather than for passion.

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From: Monique Morrow <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:10:45 -0700

Well I do engage quite actively in these discussion with girls in high
school; young women in universities and women in the industry the problem
space and opportunity is  multifaceted, cultural depending upon the
country--- and btw  my motto:

"geek c ést chic! "

Monique

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From: "Worley, Dale R (Dale)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:22:21 -0400

> carrer?, If yes, why?  If no, why not?"

From: Monique Morrow [[email-masked]]
> country

In the countries with which you are most familiar, what answers do
girls give you?

> and btw  my motto:

What responses do you receive to your motto?

Dale

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From: Huub van Helvoort <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:52:37 +0200

Hi Dale,

You wondered:

>> "geek c ést chic!"

That it is spelled wrong...

BR, Huub.

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From: Fred Baker <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:51:40 -0700

>  http://imaginatorium.org/stuff/nose.htm

I expected the end of the article to be something to the effect of "eventually, the emperor measured it himself and announced the result, and as a result we now know how long a cm is."