Do we need a women-only tech space?

Do we need a women-only tech space?(youruisucks.tumblr.com)

5 points by TWSS 14 years ago | 7 comments

amilanez 14 years ago |

Segregation is an unsustainable way to deal with the problem. The answer is women in tech, in larger numbers and with greater influence.

Women speaking out has an influence. It puts the issue of sexism and responses to it on the table. Katie and Shanley, thank you.

TWSS 14 years ago | |

OP here - my proposal is that we might benefit from women-only support groups where we can share the frustrations and experiences of being in the minority, not women-only workplaces.

That said, there's some research that single-sex education leads to better student outcomes, especially for girls. I wonder if similar research has been done for work environments.

I'm also very grateful to Katie and Shanley for being brave enough to stand up and write about their experiences.

amilanez 14 years ago | | |

A strain of academic literature suggests that single-sex higher education may be problematic in that it accentuates separateness. Separateness can build confidence, but in my experience it's local confidence, pertaining only to the controlled environment that produced it. Otherwise, separateness is simply different, contributing to a sense of being an outsider. And I think that this is a bad thing.

martharotter 14 years ago | |

Segregation is definitely unsustainable, but I definitely agree that mentoring and support groups can make a huge difference.

I've often been the only woman on otherwise all-male teams before and it's never bothered me. But I always appreciated having strong role models who were respected, technical women and open to mentoring and supporting others.

gergles 14 years ago |

> "Single-sex education results in better student outcomes"

Um, citation needed. See http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6050/1706.full for a counter-citation from Science.

Single-sex anything does not provide long-term benefits, but instead just pushes the problem out of sight.

TWSS 14 years ago | |

Well, here's the first one that came up when I Googled: http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb...

I'm interested in reading the article, is there a free version somewhere?

kstenerud 14 years ago |

"Single-sex education results in better student outcomes."

According to whom?

Personally, I'm not even convinced that age segregation in education is a good idea.