Why are there so few women compared with men in Computer Science? My wife has no interest in Computer Science whatsoever, nor does she have interest in any of the hard sciences. In order to learn more about the nature versus nurture aspects of why women often avoid the sciences, I asked her questions about her personal experiences. What I found is that she never felt pressured to avoid the sciences. She understands that the opportunity is there if she wishes to take it. She feels innately drawn to other subjects like history, art, and health. She is clearly not unhappy about the lack of science in her life, but is this due to her nature as a woman, or the culture she was brought up in?
What I saw in the family I grew up in was that my sisters were introduced to computers at the same time as my brother and I. They also enjoyed using them, but my brother and I were obsessive about them. I believe the culture in my home gave my sisters equal incentive to learn about computers. The difference was the ability to tinker obsessively. I would spend hours to figure out new things that the computer could do; to my sisters that was boring. In my opinion it is the male tinkering obsession that creates the gender gap in Computer Science. Is the obsession caused by nurture or nature? It is most certainly both.
1 comment:
It's interesting to think about, looking back on how all of us had equal opportunity. But Tallia and I went more towards the health field while you and Josh have always loved computer science.
I guess it's a good thing I found a guy that loves computers just as much since I'm kind of brain dead when it comes to them.
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