You really don't know any women that do the traditionally more feminine crafts like sewing? If metal working is related to an engineering hobby, then sewing most definitely is as well. Having experience in both, the parallels are uncanny; they both require designing a project, procuring materials, preparing those materials and the machines for the required operations, performing the tasks skillfully, and iterating to improve as you do more projects.

This seems like it could be a case where the feminine version of what is being considered has a tendency to be dismissed.

I have no issue with considering that this may be more prevalent in one sex or the other, but there's also a lot of room for people to overlook what does occur. Cooking is a good example of something that is highly technical and often requires a great investment of personal time, yet appears to have much better gender equality. Perhaps this is due to traditional cultural reasons, or perhaps it really is distinct from e.g. programming.

A. I can name several of them in my subfield.

B. The leap you and McArdle make from nerding out on weekends to career excellence is nowhere evident in practice.

C. That's a pretty offensive generalization you're making, and you'd have been better off without your last sentence.

> I'm not sure being unpopular or not being the object of attention for girls has anything to do with this.

Sure it does. I know if I was popular in school I wouldn't have spent so many Friday nights locked away programming and subsequently honing my craft.

I managed both.

We believe you wink.

Not sure why this guy is being downvoted. It's a valid description of what seems to be his own personal experience.