I have to be honest this reads like " I don't notice the problem so it must not exist.". Just because people don't feel comfortable talking to you about it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Gender distribution along measurable employment metrics in tech is not 50/50 and we can't say with any certainty that the reason behind it is innocuous or not. That's one example of how a larger problem manifests: Until scientifically rigorous analysis is done to explain it, anyone with a narrative to push will attempt to fill the void.
The interpretation of employment distribution and the actual reasons behind it are circles on a Venn diagram. Any attempts to clarify where an interpretation overlaps or doesn't overlap is simply asking for a shouting match. Typically because A) people observe their own experiences and generalize them to apply to everyone B) politics can become a form of in-group signalling for cliques; making political views into social norms makes it even harder to question established views C) people stand to gain and lose based on what interpretations become widely accepted D) self fulfilling prophecies are a thing in sociology
Sorry, but just about every time gender and India comes up in the news its because of how poorly women are being treated in India and how often the courts look the other way. Really having trouble imagining that this article is grounded in reality.
A theory: there is more to India than gang rapes and lynching on mango trees.
Poor treatment of women in India is a major problem. I've been obligated to engage in actual street violence twice as a result of this, compared to approximately 0 times in the US [1]. After 10PM I will escort a woman home regardless of how annoying I find her. On the two occasions I attended an Indian church, "the ability of girls and women to protect their virtue" was one of the issues that attendees were instructed to pray for.
Nevertheless, India is more than just the land of gang rape. In upper middle class households, women are often treated quite well. Similarly in a professional context. India had it's first female prime minister in 1966 (admittedly, she got the job via nepotism).
Discounting the Indian upper class experience simply because of a few high profile examples of (primarily) lower class problems is a fallacy.
[1] I've spent approximately 30 years in the US and 2 in India.
America, change your female idols from being just a "Cheerleader" and a lot will change. As a society these idols provide an insight into the collective mindset.
It's worse than that. Many will actively look down on you for being interested in math or engineering. You can practically see the look on their face change right after you tell them. Not all women are like this, of course, but it's happened to me pretty frequently.
It's a loaded question. How do people develop interest in a subject? What road-blocks do they encounter from a young age through school and entering the workplace? I've not seen any study that suggests given similar influences women are less interested in technology than men.
Why isn't there a cry for more men in nursing like there seems to be a cry for more women in tech? Is one profession somehow more desirable or honorable than the other?
There is. There are a number of programs (I know Johnson and Johnson has one for example) to get males into nursing not to mention the ridiculous number of male only scholarships for nursing: https://www.discovernursing.com/scholarships#requirements=ma...
Why don't you write journalism about the lack of men in nursing? I seriously doubt you're as interested as the lack of men in X if the only time you bring it up is when the lack of woman in Y is being discussed.
Now, I'd guess it is more desired since CS/IT/Software Engineering is being promoted a lot by big companies and what not.
A couple of minutes Googling leads to this article http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/768914_1 which links to American Assembly of Men in Nursing, which is doing just what you say. Also has interesting notes on how nursing came to be female-dominated and what steps might be taken to change that.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 55.2 ms ] threadThe interpretation of employment distribution and the actual reasons behind it are circles on a Venn diagram. Any attempts to clarify where an interpretation overlaps or doesn't overlap is simply asking for a shouting match. Typically because A) people observe their own experiences and generalize them to apply to everyone B) politics can become a form of in-group signalling for cliques; making political views into social norms makes it even harder to question established views C) people stand to gain and lose based on what interpretations become widely accepted D) self fulfilling prophecies are a thing in sociology
Poor treatment of women in India is a major problem. I've been obligated to engage in actual street violence twice as a result of this, compared to approximately 0 times in the US [1]. After 10PM I will escort a woman home regardless of how annoying I find her. On the two occasions I attended an Indian church, "the ability of girls and women to protect their virtue" was one of the issues that attendees were instructed to pray for.
Nevertheless, India is more than just the land of gang rape. In upper middle class households, women are often treated quite well. Similarly in a professional context. India had it's first female prime minister in 1966 (admittedly, she got the job via nepotism).
Discounting the Indian upper class experience simply because of a few high profile examples of (primarily) lower class problems is a fallacy.
[1] I've spent approximately 30 years in the US and 2 in India.
Now, I'd guess it is more desired since CS/IT/Software Engineering is being promoted a lot by big companies and what not.