[Linux-aus] How can we address gender imbalance in LA/AU-FLOSS? (Was: An Open Letter to the Open Source Community)

[Dave Davey]

On Thu, May 24, 2007 at 03:40:45PM +1000, Andrae Muys wrote:
> 

> We are a community that prides itself on being a meritocracy; that  
> avails itself of communication mediums that should allow us to avoid  
> even unconscious discrimination.  Yet we have this situation where  
> women are almost unrepresented in FOSS.  It is important that we ask  
> ourselves why?
> 
> I suspect a part of the problem has been amply demonstrated in this  
> thread.

That's possible, but it's really not an evidence-based conclusion.

Have there been any surveys of, for example, pre-University/TAFE
students to explore their attitudes to different career areas including
ICT, and whether preceived gender prejudices play a role in decisions?

It could be that potential female students aspire to careers they value
as more challenging and rewarding than ICT.  In my academic career I was
most involved with teaching students in medicine and in medical sciences.
Females often predominate in those programs.  Females outnumber males in
medicine in most Universities, though not necessarily by a large margin.
But I recall years when our honours medical science program was up to 80%
female, and where the students in particular research laboratories were
100% female.  They were there because in a very competitive environment
they were the best.

One could postulate theories about why males were underrepresented
that involve perceptions about anti-mail prejudice, but I think
examination of the rigourous and closely monitored competitive selection
processes would make it impossible to sustain such arguments.

I'm not belittling the question about underrepresentation of females
in ICT, but I think useful answers will be based more on data and
less on gut feelings.


Dave


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David F. Davey
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