Ian,
The fact that more girls graduate high school than boys and that many
women earn degrees does not debunk the "girls are not called upon"
statement. I didn't say that happened in all classes, certainly in the
history classes and English classes I took the girls were called on as
much if not more than the boys. You'd have to show me stats that show
that the girls had higher grades in math and science to prove your
point.
I don't think it's a conscious action on the part of the teachers, to
discourage girls from the sciences. And yes, motivation should and can
come from within and from one's parents. But we are all to some extent
captive by our culture. And while there will always be kids (boys and
girls) who have enough self-esteem and confidence to buck the system
and "public opinion", far more of them want to conform and fit in.
I do think that the culture today, at least in the US, which idolizes
women more for how they look than how they think, is a major
contributor to girls shying away from the subjects that are considered
geeky and uncool.
I'm neither pleased nor displeased about the assistant director -- was
she the best candidate for the job? Does she do the work in an above
average manner?
I try really hard NOT to be prejudiced in either direction when hiring.
I try NOT to think about "affirmative action" but instead focus on
getting the best candidate for the position.
Rachel
- "MacGregor, Ian A." <ian_at_SLAC.Stanford.EDU> wrote:
> Rachel, the "girls are not called upon" nonsense is debunked by the
> graduation rate of girls vs. boys in high school, and the number of
> women earning degrees. It is not unusual to have an extroverted lad
> dominating a class room; however when at the end the female members
> of the class will on average have better marks and a better
> understanding of the subject matter than the male members. It is not
> unusual in math to have the very top performers to be male, but again
> on average the girls do better than the boys.
>
> How should schools encourage girls to consider science or math,
> doesn't that come from within? Is it the guidance counselors? I dare
> say they have rained ruin on as many boys as girls. Are the teachers
> saying to the girls with a keen interest in math, "You'd be better
> off learning to iron clothes than being able to perform LaPlace
> transforms?
>
> I would guess there are numerous outside factors which discourage
> women. One is indeed that the fields are often male-dominated.
> Cracking a homogenous group can be very difficult indeed even if
> that group is not hostile to the "infiltration". Another is doing
> something different than your peers.
>
> I expect you'll be pleased to know that one of our assistant
> directors is a woman. She leads our Research Division. A position
> which includes the responsibility of deciding what science is
> performed here. Our computing and networking efforts also fall
> under her purview.
>
> I also see many daughters following in their fathers' footsteps.
> They are assuming the same positions that their fathers held
> twenty some years ago. From this group and the other women
> scientists, will come future directors and future Nobel Laureates.
> It takes time but the progress is steady.
>
> Ian MacGregor
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 5:39 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
>
>
> I think that within the population of women in IT, the number of
> female Oracle DBAs is increasing. However, in general, the number of
> women entering IT is decreasing. That is, the number of women who are
> encouraged to become DBAs or developers or network admins or sys
> admins is decreasing.
>
> I've noticed (I have a friend with a 13 year old son and a 16 year
> old
> daughter) that the schools are not encouraging girls to go into
> science or math. There have been studies done that show that teachers
> in those fields tend to call on the girls in the class less and spend
> less time helping them understand the subjects.
>
> My opinion only
>
> Rachel
>
> --- DENNIS WILLIAMS <DWILLIAMS_at_LIFETOUCH.COM> wrote:
> > Recently this list had a discussion of female Oracle DBAs. The
> > consensus was that the numbers were increasing, which I view as a
> good
> > thing. Here is an
> > article with industry statistics saying that the number of women in
> > IT is
> > decreasing.
> > http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/career/article.php/1564501
> > Any theories?
> >
> > Dennis Williams
> > DBA, 40%OCP
> > Lifetouch, Inc.
> > dwilliams_at_lifetouch.com
> > --
> > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net
> > --
> > Author: DENNIS WILLIAMS
> > INET: DWILLIAMS_at_LIFETOUCH.COM
> >
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Received on Wed Jan 08 2003 - 11:29:42 CST
