U.S. Tech Industry Needs Women

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Everyone keeps beating on the "we need women in tech" drum but no one, not even the author of this article, seems to have an answer to the problem.

"If you don't have a diverse group (of workers), how are you going to address the needs of a diverse group of people?" Robin Hauser Reynolds, the San Francisco-based director of a documentary on the topic, said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
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No. We don't "need" women.

A more diverse workplace is a DESIRABLE thing. A more socially healthy thing.

But it isn't a "need".

Food. Clothing. Shelter. Medical care in emergencies.

These are needs.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter if Lowly Underpaid Slave Programmer has a penis or a clitoris.
 
Yea, because if you only have female programers and developers you'll never be able to produce games that men will want to buy and then you'll be stuck with the overwhelming sales from that massive female gaming demographic :p
 
We need more women so we can produce content that will sell to women because women can do anything men can do and ... men ......... can't :rolleyes:
 
there's no problem, why would anyone want a job has high turnovers?
 
How about this: Women are human beings that are capable of making decisions and if they choose not to go into tech, that is their choice and it's not wrong?

I don't mind women in tech and some of my favorite coworkers over the years have been women but there is no problem here.

It is disrespectful to women to say that their choice to not go into tech is wrong. Again, they are human beings and can choose to go into whatever field they want, be it in technology or anything else.
 
More articles from women who talk about the tech industry but only see it from the perspective of games. To her, Tech is game development or code work. She doesn't see Network Engineers, Virtualization, Storage, Information Assurance, Help Desk work, the list goes far longer. I can't even think of games as real IT, it's just entertainment, Art.

The world is pretty tough as it is, IT is almost as tough as it gets. It's a constant effort to keep yourself up to date with the changing technology. There is constant pressure to expand your qualifications, you can't just be a SAN guy anymore. I have a job I am working to hook right now and they are looking for a System's Administrator who knows VMWare, NetApp (SAN), Networking, Information Security and Military IS Compliance Standards, with a TS Clearance and we might as well throw in Windows and RHEL Server operating systems, scripting, and PKI, Active Directory, SSO, and I still haven't covered it all. This is what they call a Sysadmin.
 
"If you don't have a diverse group (of workers), how are you going to address the needs of a diverse group of people?"
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1) Because, believe it or not, people can be diverse even if they are the same race and gender. We aren't spit out of a factory mold, and grew up in different countries, in different socio-economic groups, with different hobbies, etc.

I'm sure I can easily find three random white dudes that I have less in common with than my gf, or my highschool buddies who were mostly asian and shared all the same hobbies and grew up in the same neighborhood as me.

2) They keep telling us that THERE IS NO INHERENT DIFFERENCE between women and men, black and white, etc, and then at the same time they insist that there are things inherently different between genders and races and so we need hiring quotas.

Well, which is it? Does gender and race matter, or is gender and race merely superficial and means nothing? This is a logic bomb that breaks liberal-programmed computers... "DOES NOT COMPUTE! ERROR! PARADOX!
 
I don't have the source at the moment, but there was a study of hiring practices in the STEM industry and it turns out that HR favors female candidates to males by a margin of 2:1. STEM already is doing their best to hire women, but the simple truth is that women simply are not interested in STEM fields. It's hard to create more female presence in an industry when the number of male candidates in the pool outnumber the females by nearly 4:1.
 
My girlfriend has a bachelors degree in computer science, works at a grocery store because nothing related to her degree local will hire her and she doesn't have the money to move.
 
Kritter said:
My girlfriend has a bachelors degree in computer science, works at a grocery store because nothing related to her degree local will hire her and she doesn't have the money to move.
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She needs to apply to jobs that offers moving packages. My company does this. Boeing is hiring people to work out in South Carolina which is where I am.
 
Well, they could try the free market approach ... if you don't have enough people from a particular demographic then you find ways to offer more competitive pay and benefits for that demographic ... although it isn't universal most companies could attract more female workers if they had pay equality and better maternity leave policies ... for older women with families, some form of flexible work hours is sometimes helpful ... younger workers tend to be attracted by onsite facilities and perks like vacation time (at least I think, I haven't been a younger worker in a long time :) )

If there is not a sufficient supply in the free market then companies need to offer incentives further down the food chain (sponsor schools, encourage employee volunteers to help schools, give employees financial perks for helping schools, offer scholarships and internships, etc) ... another option is to work with the government to change immigration policy to bring in the worker you need (like what happened a decade or so back during the nursing shortage ... being a nurse got you to the top of the green card list and with no quotas)
 
WTF? That's like saying I can't serve a black person because I'm not black. I call bullcrap. You don't have to be a woman to be sensitive to a woman's needs, etc. All of this forced affirmative action and stuff is killing us slowly from the inside out.
 
I don't understand how a male-dominated work environment isn't a good thing for prospective female employees. As a male, the fact that certain professions are female-dominated are to me the only thing going for them (teacher, nurse, etc), 'cause I otherwise have no interest.

Perhaps most women just aren't interested in the job, and that results in the work environment, instead of the reverse?
 
dandragonrage said:
How about this: Women are human beings that are capable of making decisions and if they choose not to go into tech, that is their choice and it's not wrong?
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THIS.

I also find it odd that no one is crapping their pants that 99.9% of coal mining jobs are occupied by men. Why no push to get more women there?
 
Kritter said:
My girlfriend has a bachelors degree in computer science, works at a grocery store because nothing related to her degree local will hire her and she doesn't have the money to move.
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I'd like to know where this is, because I have a sneaking suspicion it's either a location problem (middle of nowhere) or an interviewing problem.

If you lived here in Salt Lake City, she'd have about 3 recruiters a day calling when she posts her info and location most anywhere online. (Dice, Monster, LinkedIn, etc.)
 
It doesn't "Need" anything forced. If women want to work in IT, more power to them. However "diversity" isn't something that should ever be forced. Remove any barriers that are actively preventing them someone from wanting to work in a field because of their sex/religion/race if they exist and let the market fix the rest.

That said in reference to what some are talking about in this thread in general. Part of the problem with IT especially right now is the number of companies pulling bullshit like the one I recently interviewed with. They were looking for someone to provide support to their company and had a fairly lengthy "desires" list. I will copy paste it here...

Ideal candidate:
Superior Customer Service
White Glove telephone customer servicing skill
Ability to speak technically and patiently with people with a wide variety of experiences and skill levels; technology based or otherwise.

Technical experience with:
• Microsoft Windows XP, VISTA, 7
• Macintosh OS Support (This is a skill set that we need to start receiving in the candidates that we bring on)
• Microsoft Exchange Environments
• Microsoft Office Suite of products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• HTML
• Basic Microsoft Server
• Active Directory
• Novel
• Printer Software Installation
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Now while I don't particularly want to be a support grunt, times are tough and I need a job. I happen to have all of what they are looking for and quite a bit more. However their offer was so laughably bad that I told them to shove the job. They wanted someone Actively Supporting AD, Novel, MS Server and the ability to write HTML and had the audacity to try and offer $12.50 an hour. That is just flat out insulting for the amount of work and qualifications they are seeking. The sad part about it? There will be some jackass desperate enough to take that shit and continue showing companies that if they wait long enough they can break people into taking stupid salaries. I could literally take a job at Aldi bagging groceries making $12.50 an hour...
 
We need more women in tech so that we can say there are more women in tech.
 
We keep reading articles like this and seems despite the big push of the last few years, little has changed. I know people don't want to admit that maybe women's brains are wired differently but maybe this is the truth.

On a related note, I have always been fascinated with the fact that a large portion of the women in IT related jobs are lesbians. Many more than the general populace.
 
Kritter said:
My girlfriend has a bachelors degree in computer science, works at a grocery store because nothing related to her degree local will hire her and she doesn't have the money to move.
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What's her GPA? That's such a massive waste of talent.
 
Staples said:
On a related note, I have always been fascinated with the fact that a large portion of the women in IT related jobs are lesbians. Many more than the general populace.
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Could say the same for gym coaches...
Engineering stuff is a "guys" activity. No wonder its all dykes when a women is spotted...
Another reason this talk is a waste of time. Real women work in sales and marketing; administrative stuff. They should look at the gender break down there, instead of singling out an industry that has been "more for men" since it started.

sarcasm:
I think the Plumbing industry has a huge deficit in women workers. We need more women plumbers. Why aren't women going towards the plumbing/sewer industry!? /sarcasm
 
Staples said:
On a related note, I have always been fascinated with the fact that a large portion of the women in IT related jobs are lesbians. Many more than the general populace.
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That's just what they tell you so you'll stop staring at them like they're bacon.
 
Steve said:
THIS.

I also find it odd that no one is crapping their pants that 99.9% of coal mining jobs are occupied by men. Why no push to get more women there?
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I don't see the NBA trying to recruit more Asians, or the city of San Francisco trying to higher more straight people.

It's always a one way street used to attach males or especially white males.
 
Ducman69 said:
1) Because, believe it or not, people can be diverse even if they are the same race and gender. We aren't spit out of a factory mold, and grew up in different countries, in different socio-economic groups, with different hobbies, etc.

I'm sure I can easily find three random white dudes that I have less in common with than my gf, or my highschool buddies who were mostly asian and shared all the same hobbies and grew up in the same neighborhood as me.

2) They keep telling us that THERE IS NO INHERENT DIFFERENCE between women and men, black and white, etc, and then at the same time they insist that there are things inherently different between genders and races and so we need hiring quotas.

Well, which is it? Does gender and race matter, or is gender and race merely superficial and means nothing? This is a logic bomb that breaks liberal-programmed computers... "DOES NOT COMPUTE! ERROR! PARADOX!
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Agreed, man oh man yes.

I'm different, I'm special.

Why aren't you treating me like everyone else?
 
Kritter said:
My girlfriend has a bachelors degree in computer science, works at a grocery store because nothing related to her degree local will hire her and she doesn't have the money to move.
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Really? How old is your girlfriend and is she in decent physical shape?
 
Work should be about who produces what, and at what cost. Not about their genitals.

An imagined divide of how much of any sex should be in a field is objective. So assuming anything besides a 50/50 split needs to be addressed, and is not indicative of a fair work world, does not apply in every scenario.
Especially in a nerd's workforce.

Because nerds are the alpha male bullies of the world.
 
atp1916 said:
What's her GPA? That's such a massive waste of talent.
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It's becoming common, and it's not restricted to women.
But in her case it may be related to ambition, drive, personality, competency, most importantly experience, etc.

People without any degree routinely get much further than grocery store workers, and since all people with a degree have the same opportunities as those without, well.
 
Ducman69 said:
1) Because, believe it or not, people can be diverse even if they are the same race and gender. We aren't spit out of a factory mold, and grew up in different countries, in different socio-economic groups, with different hobbies, etc.

I'm sure I can easily find three random white dudes that I have less in common with than my gf, or my highschool buddies who were mostly asian and shared all the same hobbies and grew up in the same neighborhood as me.

2) They keep telling us that THERE IS NO INHERENT DIFFERENCE between women and men, black and white, etc, and then at the same time they insist that there are things inherently different between genders and races and so we need hiring quotas.

Well, which is it? Does gender and race matter, or is gender and race merely superficial and means nothing? This is a logic bomb that breaks liberal-programmed computers... "DOES NOT COMPUTE! ERROR! PARADOX!
Click to expand...

The trouble with your thoughts is that you're lumping a lot of different people with different opinions on the matter into a single "they" in order to present the variety of those opinions as a single entity with a conflicting either-or message so you can continue to affirm a preconceived notion about the world around you so it can be used to your benefit as needed. It's as silly as lumping everyone you disagree with into a political party regardless of whether or not they even bother with political affiliations.
 
lcpiper said:
Really? How old is your girlfriend and is she in decent physical shape?
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It's kinda disappointing, but that's a pretty valid question. The bottom line is that attractive and healthy people generally end up better of in jobs, money, lifestyle, spouses, and so on. I feel so bad for all the people out there who have like a goatee, full beard, or are sorta chunky from popping out a baby because not only have they made a huge mistake by having facial hair or children, but also because they're no longer hot like the rest of us who have people like literally falling all over themselves to offer money. They end up being low wage workers that have lower class kids who are really messed up because of how much the more wealthy children with smarter parents will ignore them. When I was younger, I tried even to make friends with some of those lower income children, but really, there was just no hope for them so I guess it was better that I stayed among my own peer group of better people because they'll just end up dragging out down into being a worthless pot head with a ton of tattoos and a long criminal record who wants to mine bitcoins to get rich and have MAYBE $20k from all their efforts as their "big money." Whatever.
 
Many young women who enroll in computer science in college feel isolated and out of place and, like Reynolds' daughter, drop out of the course, discouraged by the predominance of the "nerd" or "geek", the young man who spends day and night looking at numbers and code on a computer screen.
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there it is.
 
atp1916 said:
What's her GPA? That's such a massive waste of talent.
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Her GPA?

I've never, in over 18 years working IT, been asked my GPA. I've worked for L3, CSC, SAIC, Northrup Grumman, NCI, and Oberon Associates and I am looking for an interview right now from CISCO and I don't expect they'll ask my GPA either.

New people don't know how to market themselves, they don't know how to approach the whole getting a job thing. First off, schools are great but experience is king and frequently a key Cert is the deal breaker.

When you look at a Job Listing try to figure out exactly what it is they need the most, they list everything but it's what they need that matters. Problem is, the guys writing these Job listings sometimes don't know what it really is that's needed.

You have to look at what you have and find the people that need it. Then you have to take their job listing and rebuild your resume so that you fir the job while remembering that the HR guy might not know that Proficient in Active Directory means you can "Create and Manage Ad Forests, OUs, and blah blah blah"

If you see a job that's local and you want it but there is a cert that looks really important, go get that cert. Nothing says "I want to work for you."" I want your Job." like going out and getting what they need on your dime at the drop of a hat. Most entry type certs can be had with a week of work, what else are you doing, bagging groceries?
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
It's kinda disappointing, but that's a pretty valid question. The bottom line is that attractive and healthy people generally end up better of in jobs, money, lifestyle, spouses, and so on. I feel so bad for all the people out there who have like a goatee, full beard, or are sorta chunky from popping out a baby because not only have they made a huge mistake by having facial hair or children, but also because they're no longer hot like the rest of us who have people like literally falling all over themselves to offer money. They end up being low wage workers that have lower class kids who are really messed up because of how much the more wealthy children with smarter parents will ignore them. When I was younger, I tried even to make friends with some of those lower income children, but really, there was just no hope for them so I guess it was better that I stayed among my own peer group of better people because they'll just end up dragging out down into being a worthless pot head with a ton of tattoos and a long criminal record who wants to mine bitcoins to get rich and have MAYBE $20k from all their efforts as their "big money." Whatever.
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LOL Creepy, actually I was trying to assess her chances for using the Military as her tech career launchpad. It's a great door if you can open it. She is already schooled and sometimes people can "test" their way past the Army's training and up a couple of pay grades immediately. Specially when you have skills they need at the moment.
 
lcpiper said:
Her GPA?

I've never, in over 18 years working IT, been asked my GPA. I've worked for L3, CSC, SAIC, Northrup Grumman, NCI, and Oberon Associates and I am looking for an interview right now from CISCO and I don't expect they'll ask my GPA either.

New people don't know how to market themselves, they don't know how to approach the whole getting a job thing. First off, schools are great but experience is king and frequently a key Cert is the deal breaker.

When you look at a Job Listing try to figure out exactly what it is they need the most, they list everything but it's what they need that matters. Problem is, the guys writing these Job listings sometimes don't know what it really is that's needed.

You have to look at what you have and find the people that need it. Then you have to take their job listing and rebuild your resume so that you fir the job while remembering that the HR guy might not know that Proficient in Active Directory means you can "Create and Manage Ad Forests, OUs, and blah blah blah"

If you see a job that's local and you want it but there is a cert that looks really important, go get that cert. Nothing says "I want to work for you."" I want your Job." like going out and getting what they need on your dime at the drop of a hat. Most entry type certs can be had with a week of work, what else are you doing, bagging groceries?
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If you're trying to get a job in software engineering (assuming this from the computer science degree) and you're fresh out of college, you bet the big companies and small companies in SV are going to ask for GPA.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
there it is.
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I had to look that up to see that it was indeed an actual code.

So her daughter was discouraged because of what the actual career is?...
...
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

The article is as terrible as every other article prior that ignores the multitude of industries in which the opposite is true, or the jobs that are male dominated and women have no interest into breaking in and the like.
 
Idiot liberals. Moonbats place way too much emphasis on our differences when they should stay focused on our similarities. So what does it mean if we have 20% white men, 20% black men, 20% white women, 20% black women, 20% gay white men...oh wait. You can never have a truly diversified workplace because there are way too many individual groups. Even if you could, what does it mean? Will it make management feel good for some reason. Perhaps ease their, "white guilt" or "white male guilt" or whatever dysfunctional, twisted reasons they have. Poor self esteem?
"Oh look!" "We have an equal number of gays, males, females, Asians, Norwegians, Germans... in our workplace!" "Doesn't it make you feel good?" "We are sooo tolerant". "Of course we had to discriminate against a lot of people who were better qualified to achieve this level of diversity, but it feels great!"
"Diversity" is the true antithesis to equality.
 
lcpiper said:
Her GPA?

I've never, in over 18 years working IT, been asked my GPA. I've worked for L3, CSC, SAIC, Northrup Grumman, NCI, and Oberon Associates and I am looking for an interview right now from CISCO and I don't expect they'll ask my GPA either.

New people don't know how to market themselves, they don't know how to approach the whole getting a job thing. First off, schools are great but experience is king and frequently a key Cert is the deal breaker.

When you look at a Job Listing try to figure out exactly what it is they need the most, they list everything but it's what they need that matters. Problem is, the guys writing these Job listings sometimes don't know what it really is that's needed.

You have to look at what you have and find the people that need it. Then you have to take their job listing and rebuild your resume so that you fir the job while remembering that the HR guy might not know that Proficient in Active Directory means you can "Create and Manage Ad Forests, OUs, and blah blah blah"

If you see a job that's local and you want it but there is a cert that looks really important, go get that cert. Nothing says "I want to work for you."" I want your Job." like going out and getting what they need on your dime at the drop of a hat. Most entry type certs can be had with a week of work, what else are you doing, bagging groceries?
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If she's a new grad that hasn't held a full time position in software engineering (or other CS related position) you can be damn sure GPA is a factor. GPA doesn't matter after that, but new grads are routinely filtered by GPA...especially by most of the companies you listed.
 
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