Fred Baker wrote:
On Apr 30, 2012, at 5:03 PM, Ofer Inbar wrote:
This PBS interview with Harvey Mudd president Maria Klawe, on the
subject of why fewer women go into tech & engineering fields, is
worth watching:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2012/04/college_president_discusses_wo.html
This is a discussion that comes up periodically.
If you want my opinion (nobody asked, but I will presume that someone is wondering), the corollary
is "why aren't more students interested in math/science?". I'll observe that there are
relatively few teachers that I can say "inspired" me to think their their directions;
far-too-many years later, I could probably name them. Two were English teachers, one was a Math
teacher, tenth grade geometry, one taught 7th grade Geography, and one taught senior Calculus. And,
oh, I liked some of my college profs, but in this context my views were probably formed before I
got there.
What if teachers were measured on a survey at the end of a semester or a year that asked "does
teacher <> make <> interesting to you?".
+1.
What about other minorities? Is the recruitment levels the same?
Public funded, social programs to fill certain needs? Both at the
school and business levels?
A Puerto Rican from the Sough Bronx, I wanted to go to the vocational
school up the block - Alfred E. Smith. AP/College bounds programs
were presented to me. I didn't know enough to see it or even dream
about it.
A HS counselor helped with showing the availability of AA/Minority
college grant programs which included girls among the selected group
she called to her office. Otherwise, while a good grades student, I
wasn't thinking about college. I selected Drexel only because a
recruiter came to the HS showing a photo with white, black, spanish
and women all wearing cool Drexel Engineering helmets! I selected
Chemical Engineering because I saw they made the most salary as a
co-op student among all degrees! I had no idea how brutal the Chemical
Engineering curriculum would be.
But I had even failed a HS class called "Computers" that introduced
this thing called FORTRAN using some punch card thingy. So I was
presented with even more Pre-college Grant programs to learn about
applied engineering with computers, and it still took an act of GOD
with a lightning strike knocking out a PDP-11, forcing us to do the
engineering problem translation to BASIC on paper by hand, and only
then did I finally get the AH-AH of GIGO!
And even with all that, it still took AA programs it finally get a job
because it was mist of a recession that did not help many get a job
and this dude called Ted Turner speaking in our graduation getting
loud boos recommending that we go into the MILITARY!
IMO, background is very important. Unless there are active social
programs and recruitment efforts A.K.A "Marketing," I don't think
there will a natural tendency of the so called "minority segment" of
(any) society that are not often encouraged or have the family
background already, to explore or even think about the science related
industry as a career.
Take myself. I was deep into computers and the blossoming world of
Telecomputing, micro-at-home era. The wife (Technical Sales Engineer)
and I specifically did not want our two new girls to get into the same
High Tech business as Daddy and Mommy were in. No Way! Doctors,
Lawyers perhaps! No way ENGINEER! It was too tough and I also saw how
tough it was for my women peers at Mobil and Westinghouse with an
extreme competition going on, and quite frankly faced tough family
decisions at some point. In fact, during some pending layoffs at big
W, I was told I was going to stay and found out a pregnant software
programmer in the group was going to get laid off. With my existing
"Fire in my Belly" to quit and start my business already, I took the
opportunity and asked the boss to keep her and to lay me off instead
so I can get the benefits, Cobra, etc. If I had quit, I lose all that.
I had already saw that the salaries were different too. The idea of
working for a corporation lost its appear when I saw a lost of loyalty
with people of 20, 25-30 years who had dedicated their engineering
lives were now forced to get early retirement, laid off or fired.
With no more Federal funding for Advanced Energy programs and the even
Defense in AI, Robots and Star Wars, etc, I did not want my two girls
to go into these life commitment hard sciences. I didn't push the
computers at home on them at all. I didn't teach them about the idea
of "programming" etc. Perhaps only to play games, and perhaps to use
the early on-disc encyclopedias. They were using Apple stuff at school
anyway and that was good enough for us.
Today, both living in NYC, one works for Sony Music productions
department and the oldest is a successful independent artist making
more money that I can ever imagine possible. She was even a contestant
on Bravo's first season "Next Great Artist." The only thing that
first worried me was whether she would need to cut off an ear before
getting recognized in the art world! :)
We have to consider that the engineering life is not always ideal for
anyone. Its sounds nice, it does give one more respect among their
family peers, helps secure jobs (when available), better pay, etc, but
its takes a very high commitment and it is very competitive to keep up
even if one wishes to stay in one position and not interested to be
move ahead. That presents employer decisions with competitive
compensation managers need to make. Younger, lower salary recruitement
can do the same job, etc, so generally by 30, aging engineers need to
make life career movements and changes.
For women, well, life is life, it is what it is, they have it harder
to make family oriented decisions and they are in a position to be,
well, let my artist daughter, Jaclyn Santos, show you what woman are
facing with her "Super Mom, Super Executive, Super Ho!"
painting:
http://www.jaclynsantos.com/images/large/g.jpg
Finally, for the IETF - well, gotta know first what it wants. What
does recruiting more woman (or other minorities for that matter) mean
to it? I personally think its just a reflection of whats going on in
the market. Its not like the IETF is on the radar for anyone to
pursue unless they are presented with it somewhere, somehow, at work
most likely with a position where IETF work is part of the job
production. I say that is a very very narrow niche job or goal.
PS: These are my views and says nothing about life other than my own.
