[OT] Girls Don't Code??

[J. Landman Gay]

On 10/5/12 12:44 PM, Devin Asay wrote:
>
> On Oct 5, 2012, at 11:04 AM, Bob Sneidar wrote: <snip>
>
>> I think it is more a question of tendencies than abilities.
>
> <snip>
>
> Our first two kids were boys. My wife and I, all full of high-minded
> book learnin',  were all determined that we wouldn't force "gender
> roles" on our first child.

My parents didn't know about gender roles, they just knew that girls 
wanted dolls and boys wanted trucks. They bought me dolls, I had no 
interest. When I was 8 I asked for a chemistry set and later I wanted a 
building set (remember the Kenner Girder and Panel set? Loved it. My 
folks were puzzled and a little horrified.) My father wanted a boy but 
he got me, so I helped him in his workshop. I was pissed off in seventh 
grade because girls had to take home economics and I wasn't allowed to 
take shop class. I wanted to work the saws.

I like arts and crafts too but only once in a while. Woodworking is arts 
and crafts for boys when you think about it. I can't do math. I hate pink.

Medicine is now half or more women, MIT has almost as many females as 
males enrolling.

I think some of it is genetic tendencies, some of it is culture, and 
some of it is upbringing. If you could remove the cultural and child 
rearing biases, the natural tendencies would win out, and I think those 
may be more evenly balanced between genders than is commonly thought.

-- 
Jacqueline Landman Gay         |     jacque at hyperactivesw.com
HyperActive Software           |     http://www.hyperactivesw.com