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A very interesting discussion indeed. I'd like to address a number
of the points that have been raised.<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
1. Should Linux Aus Council have consulted before granting the Ada
Initiative $AUD 5k of funds?<br>
<br>
No. The Council, who stand for election every year, have executive
authority over how funds of Linux Australia are dispersed. We expect
them to undertake appropriate due diligence, as is evident in the
grants application process. A donation is a slightly different
affair, however I am confident members of Council, either through
personal association with Mary and Valerie, or having the
professional networks to vet both, have been able to make a
professional assessment of their credentials, track record and
demonstrated commitment to both the F/LOSS community and the
participation of women within it. <br>
<br>
As members of Linux Australia, if we believe Council has erred in
judgement, we can always vote them out at the next election. I also
note from the minutes of the Council meeting that during voting on
the grant, there was one abstention - I am assuming this was Mary
abstaining on the basis of perceived conflict of interest in the
outcome. If so, this is honourable behaviour.<br>
<br>
If Council consulted on *every* grant or donation, it would simply
be unworkable. The only gap I see is that guidelines don't exist for
donations, which has been duly acknowledged, and something which I'm
sure Council will remedy in time.<br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
2. Is the Ada Initiative a worthwhile organisation to grant $AUD5k
to?<br>
<br>
We have no way of knowing for certain in advance. We must therefore
examine the evidence to determine the likelihood of an investment
such as this yielding an outcome in line with Linux Australia's
stated goals, mission (and values statement - different
discussion!). Ada Initiative has a stated, public commitment to
improving the participation of women in free and open culture and in
assisting organisations to also achieve this goal. It is clearly
distinguished from other women in computing groups and has a unique
mission. <br>
<br>
The listed projects, while not defined in detail, provide enough
information as to the focus and priorities of Ada Initiative - all
of which are in line with Linux Australia's goals of promoting
Linux, and other F/LOSS.<br>
<br>
Essentially, the answer here, on the balance of probabilities, is
yes. <br>
<br>
--<br>
<br>
3. Last, but not least, what problem are we trying to solve and what
references are available?<br>
<br>
There are a number of problems centred around the participation of
women in ICT roles which the Ada Initiative will help to address -
most of which have been the subject of at least some empirical
research. These include;<br>
<br>
- the lack of transition from studying computing and maths in
primary school to secondary and tertiary, and postgraduate
education. Women 'give up' on computing and maths<br>
- the lack of positive female role models that girls and young women
can aspire to in computing and mathematics<br>
- negative associations held by women and girls about computing and
mathematics careers<br>
- barriers to succeeding and progressing if an ICT career is
adopted, such as more difficulty building peer networks due to
male-dominated cultures, feelings of 'unbelonging' and difficulty
identifying with mentors<br>
<br>
A request for references was made, but I think it would be rather
sly of me to simply dump Endnote's contents into this forum. A few
noted selections are below;<br>
<br>
"Athena Unbound: The advancement of women in science and technology"<br>
Etzkowitz, Kemelbor and Uzzi<br>
This is an excellent tome on the topic, and shows how there is a
funnel effect - women 'drop out' of science, tech, engineering and
maths careers at different points, for different reasons - which all
need to be addressed. For instance, a woman is less likely to make
tenure track if she has children, and is more likely to drop out of
university if she feels isolated in her computer science classes.<br>
<br>
"<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family:
"sansserif","serif";">Women and information
technology : research on underrepresentation</span>"<br>
<br>
This edited book contains many chapters, each addressing a
particular issue;<br>
<br>
Lecia J. Barker and William Aspray show how many stereotypes from
computing professions send very strong gendered messages. Computer
'geeks' are also unpopular - therefore studying computing makes you
socially unpopular and is therefore a detractor. <br>
<br>
Barker and Snow go on to question why computing is not mandatory in
middle school years, and also question why IT is not promoted in a
way that shows consistency with the belief set and values of girls -
which may entice more women into IT.<br>
<br>
Cohoon and Aspray state that "Almost 30 years of efforts have failed
to produce a sustained increase in women's participation in
computing" (p. 140) - due to a lack of understanding of the causes,
and where known, lack of intervention to remedy them. This is the
standout chapter of the book and outlines a number of reasons why
women are not queuing up for IT jobs;<br>
<br>
- Culture of computing - is very masculine, and can be foreign and
daunting for women. The authors question whether this is a cause of
fewer women in IT, or simply an effect of having fewer women in IT
in the first place. They note that sub-fields of IT - such as
information systems or media - have more women - *and* a different
culture.<br>
<br>
- Experience - Experience with computers prior to entry to
university is correlated both with higher confidence and success.
Men and women appear to have smilar exposure to basic IT functions,
but women has less exposure to programming and advanced graphics
(p.151)<br>
<br>
- Entry barriers - The authors show how certain admissions tests or
entry requirements can implicitly favour men, and how changing
bridging or entry pathways to ICT could be beneficial for women. <br>
<br>
- Curricula - There are two schools of thought here - that the
content of computer science courses needs to change to appeal more
to women, or that the perceptions of ICT as a profession need to
change so that it fits more closely with womens' values - such as
showing how ICT can play a role in social progress (I can hear Pia's
speech on 'This is how I change the world - wanna join me?' echoing
as I write this). <br>
<br>
- Role models - If teachers and faculty are female, retention of
female students is more likely (p.159)<br>
<br>
- Confidence - Women more consistently rate their abilities more
negatively than equally competent male counterparts (p. 167). women
are also generally less socialised to compete - but are more fairly
represented in other competitive fields such as medicine - so this
cannot be the only factor for under-representation.<br>
<br>
- Pedagogy - the jury is still out on this one, but there is *some*
evidence to show that women have different learning styles, in
general, to men, and may prefer methods such as pair programming. <br>
<br>
<br>
I could go on. Suffice to say - there is not one problem of
representation of women in computing and F/LOSS - but many - and
the Ada Initiative is helping to solve, rather than widen, these
problems.<br>
<br>
Congratulations Mary and Valerie on a great initiative.<br>
<br>
Kind regards,<br>
Kathy<br>
<br>
<br>
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