Point of View
Quite frankly I am getting sick of some peoples attitude to me. I’m a girl and yes I do Computing Science, why the hell does that seem to suggest to some that I am less intelligent than any of the guys around?
I’ll admit I’m not the most confident programmer. I felt I had only really just got Ada pinned before I had to learn Java and not to mention the horrors of C. I ask people when I have problems, if I don’t quite understand a problem I’ll talk to someone else and try and understand it with them. Isn’t that what everyone does? It’s a necessary part of learning any subject, but even more, we are lead to believe, within a Computing (Programming) background.
I know everyone does it, cause I’ve seen you. Yet I try and become part of these conversations and suddenly I am a hanger-on, cause the “guys” believe I have no useful information to give.
I’m always the last person someone asks if they need help, people look shocked if I even try to answer a question, most of the time they just ignore my input anyway.
This isn’t the best feeling, for those of us which work hard and do well, it’s a harsh blow to be continually knocked down. Thing is there are many ways I can solve this, just continue to grin and bear it and ask for help when I need it, but why should I have to?
I could say “screw you” and not ask for help, but “hey if you do ever get desperate enough to need my help then you know where you can go”. I’ve tried this and shock horror it made no difference to anyone but me. I like helping people, the teaching gene (unfortunately) is in my DNA and I can’t avoid it, plus I don’t get a satisfaction out of proving my point in this way.
I don’t mean to go on a feminist rant here, because that isn’t what this is about for me. I don’t want this to be about my sex, my hair colour or anything else of that kind, this for me is purely about being recognised as someone who has a worthwhile point of view and all I want is to give it.
Lauren
March 8th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
Wow, that sucks. I’m a guy and I don’t have an answer for you, because I don’t understand that attitude either. There’s nothing inherently inferior about either gender. In fact, I wish more girls would get into computer sciences.
I think part of the problem is lots of girls act stupid in an attempt to be attractive to guys, because they think guys won’t be interested in somebody more intelligent than they are. And I think it’s a crying shame. Intelligence is one of the most attractive qualities for a girl to have (or a guy too, for that matter).
Well, I’m not going to say any more. I don’t want this to become a rant in your comments. Suffice to say that I think The Mattness is incredibly lucky to have someone like you.
Oh, and Java sucks
March 9th, 2005 at 8:39 am
Hi Lauren
Sorry to hear of your problems. Some males attitude just plain sucks.
I too, continually get flack - but not of the same kind as you but…. My wife and I work in the same company. We have a policy here that all the salaries are in an Excel sheet for all to see - and guess what, she earns MORE than me. The amount of males that think I should be intimidated by that is astonishing….
Maybe someday we (as in males) will grow up and get a life ;o)
Keep up the good work on your blog
Greetings from snowy (about 1 1/2 meters in the last couple of days) Austria.
Ursus
ps: did you know that yesterday was International Woman’s day ;o)
March 9th, 2005 at 9:44 am
“I’m always the last person someone asks if they need help”… that’s not true! I happen to know someone that has asked you for help before asking anyone else.. not everyone in the labs thinks you are “less intelligent than any of the guys around”.
March 9th, 2005 at 10:31 am
Hey thanks to all that have left a comment on my post, it’s been a great help knowing that people out there have similar problems.
To Kevin: I’ll admit that sometimes I act a little more ‘pathetic’ than I really am, but mainly this is just when I need help to open a jar of sauce for dinner, not at any other point. Also I would just like to say I am incredibly lucky to have the Mattness too, he’s always been there for me.
To ursus: I had heard that yesterday was International Women’s Day, quite a coincidence really….
I’m sorry to hear that you get flack too, but glad to hear that you don’t get intimidated by it, I’ve heard of so many relationships where that has been a big problem, it’s nice to see that there are a (generally increasing) group of men who don’t care about stuff like that.
To Wizard: Thanks a lot for that comment, it means a lot to me. I suppose of course that I am not always the last person everyone asks for help, as not all people in the lab have the same opinions, and it’s always good to be reminded of that.
Laurenx
March 13th, 2005 at 12:04 am
perhaps it’s your habit of having a man running up your neck in a style reminiscent of a halls soothers ad, while everyone else tries to ignore it and do some actual work, that is making everyone uncomfortable. I have no girlfriend and am dreadfully jealous of somebody else having a relationship
March 14th, 2005 at 2:51 am
unable to take a little criticism? how nice.
March 14th, 2005 at 7:16 am
Well Lauren, it does suck ass that you get such an attitude from guys. I work as a fulltime Software Engineer, and we have one woman in our Software Development department, and I take her very seriously. I haven’t seen this kind of attitude in our company, and I never do.
There are far to few women in the IT world. If I compare the ratio of intelligent women to less intelligent women in the IT world (from my personal experiences) and do the same comparison for men (also from my personal experiences), than I find that the overall quality of the women in the IT much higher than that of the men
March 14th, 2005 at 7:55 pm
I am able to take criticism. When it’s constructive criticism and from someone who has the courage to at least put their name to their views. Criticism in the way you criticised me, ‘anon’, just sounds like needless nastiness and quite frankly as this is my blog, and wordpress lets me edit comments, why should I put up with it?
March 15th, 2005 at 12:44 pm
Fair play. It was not intended as needless nastiness, and i’m sorry if i sounded like a bitter individual. It was rather that 2/3 of the people in the year comment on this same subject in the same way, of their own accord. many have vehement comments to add if asked, and all are quite fed up. I apologise anyway for any anoyance i may have caused, but you did ask a question, and i was attempting to answer it. feel free to cut any of this you don’t like :).