There seems to be an issue regarding the number of women in programming. There just isn't that many. At least not that many compared to the number of males. From looking up this topic, the key concepts I grasped were that:
- Women are extremely underrepresented in computing;
- Increasing women’s participation in computing would be desirable;
- Higher women participation would involve specific ‘inclusive’ behaviours.
As a woman in programming, I have noticed the small ratio of women to men in the classroom and the workplace. I found it intriguing, but not so much alarming. I understand support the desire for more female programmers. Much like any other creative jobs, diversity in employees allows for diversity in the work. You can gain new perspectives and insight that a single gender can't provide.
I don’t, however, agree with any emphasis on comparing the two genders. Yes, there are fewer women, but that doesn't mean women as a whole are any less capable. Capability doesn't rely on gender, but interest. I feel that an equal number of women have the ability to become programmers; they may have just chosen an alternate career path. It's possible that because programming is male dominated, it is viewed as a male career. Similar to construction, physical labour aside. As a result, fewer women attempt to enter that world. This is simply a boundary to be broken through proper advertising. I think through highlighting current female programmers, it can inspire other women that can relate to their works. Programming needs to come across more desirable. Again, maybe these capable women are just choosing alternate career paths either because they are more suited or desired. Either way, it seems like the female to male ratio in computing is rising, however slowly. Once it has evened out, I feel like a steady / consistent number of women will start choosing that career path as it becomes less gender dominated. Much like any other nongender dominate career.
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In my attempts to research this topic, I stumbled upon an amusing website comparing women to programming languages. It describes the pros and cons to each language as if each were an individual type of woman. I found it quite amusing. If you have the time, feel free to check it out.
Programming Languages are Like Women:
http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/prog.lang.html
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"That's the thing about people who think they hate computers. What they really hate is lousy programmers." - Larry Niven
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