Comments on: Sex and the Croydon Tech City https://thecroydoncitizen.com/croydon-tech-city/sex-and-the-croydon-tech-city/ Comment, analysis & opinion Fri, 28 Sep 2018 21:39:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Christian Wilcox https://thecroydoncitizen.com/croydon-tech-city/sex-and-the-croydon-tech-city/#comment-1110 Christian Wilcox Wed, 23 Oct 2013 19:33:00 +0000 http://thecroydoncitizen.com/?p=6722#comment-1110 3 factors here I want to flag up: 1) Mars needs women. As a male nerd ( I own a cloud & started my nerding 18 years ago in mind-controlled prosthetic limbs ) the language I speak is awfully nerdy. I'm not a gamer, I'm a real engineer. How on earth am I going to score a date if I speak a different language to the ladies? Some people may well disagree, but you work to live ( not vice-versa ); and dating is important. Also... Surround kids with fun tech and they will learn. But the days of 'dad in his study' are over, as no-one can afford a spare room any more. So 'tech families' are needed so that kids can explore and play with tech. If mum does not want computers in the front room or kid's bedrooms then, well, how do you let that kid nerd-out in a safe ( supervised ) way? Serious question. 2) Business needs women. 50% of the populace are female. That's a lot of customers to tap. Men don't always get women, so we need female nerds. 3) Gender stereotyping. I'm confident the vast majority of young boys won't be into flower arranging or pink hair-brushes. But Tom-boys are real. If a young lass is into 'boy stuff' then let her explore. You may have a budding nerd on your hands. Points 1 & 2 need female nerds or it's over. 3 factors here I want to flag up:

1) Mars needs women.

As a male nerd ( I own a cloud & started my nerding 18 years ago in mind-controlled prosthetic limbs ) the language I speak is awfully nerdy. I’m not a gamer, I’m a real engineer. How on earth am I going to score a date if I speak a different language to the ladies?

Some people may well disagree, but you work to live ( not vice-versa ); and dating is important. Also…

Surround kids with fun tech and they will learn. But the days of ‘dad in his study’ are over, as no-one can afford a spare room any more. So ‘tech families’ are needed so that kids can explore and play with tech. If mum does not want computers in the front room or kid’s bedrooms then, well, how do you let that kid nerd-out in a safe ( supervised ) way? Serious question.

2) Business needs women.

50% of the populace are female. That’s a lot of customers to tap. Men don’t always get women, so we need female nerds.

3) Gender stereotyping.

I’m confident the vast majority of young boys won’t be into flower arranging or pink hair-brushes. But Tom-boys are real. If a young lass is into ‘boy stuff’ then let her explore. You may have a budding nerd on your hands. Points 1 & 2 need female nerds or it’s over.

]]> By: Kake https://thecroydoncitizen.com/croydon-tech-city/sex-and-the-croydon-tech-city/#comment-525 Kake Fri, 24 May 2013 19:39:00 +0000 http://thecroydoncitizen.com/?p=6722#comment-525 It's worth mentioning that being “memorable in this space as a female” isn't necessarily an entirely positive thing. For most of my professional life as a programmer, I was “the female one” and I would have much preferred not to stand out in that way. Examples of sexism I've personally experienced in the software industry include people walking into my workplace and assuming I was the receptionist (multiple times), and a man opening a conversation with me after a tech talk with “So, I assume you're here with your boyfriend?” I think things have got better in recent years, mainly due to the efforts of people like the team behind the <a href="http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/" rel="nofollow">Geek Feminism Wiki</a> — not just women, but the men who support us and who do their best to make sure our voices are heard. It’s worth mentioning that being “memorable in this space as a female” isn’t necessarily an entirely positive thing. For most of my professional life as a programmer, I was “the female one” and I would have much preferred not to stand out in that way.

Examples of sexism I’ve personally experienced in the software industry include people walking into my workplace and assuming I was the receptionist (multiple times), and a man opening a conversation with me after a tech talk with “So, I assume you’re here with your boyfriend?”

I think things have got better in recent years, mainly due to the efforts of people like the team behind the Geek Feminism Wiki — not just women, but the men who support us and who do their best to make sure our voices are heard.

]]> By: Anne Giles https://thecroydoncitizen.com/croydon-tech-city/sex-and-the-croydon-tech-city/#comment-522 Anne Giles Fri, 24 May 2013 09:16:00 +0000 http://thecroydoncitizen.com/?p=6722#comment-522 Excellent. When I was young, my father told me that he could only afford to send one of us to university and it had to be the boy. At school we were advised to become either teachers, nurses or secretaries. In one job I was told that I would be useless at computers. Excellent. When I was young, my father told me that he could only afford to send one of us to university and it had to be the boy. At school we were advised to become either teachers, nurses or secretaries. In one job I was told that I would be useless at computers.

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