Female Founders

Re:Female Founders by debacle on Friday January 10, 2014 @05:57PM (#7040230)

Men learn at a certain point that we are not, in fact, women. We have different values, priorities, and hormones than women, and given the same scenarios we're likely to come to a different conclusion than a woman.

So why would Paul try and talk from his zero years of experience as a woman and explain how to get more women in coding? Why not simply state "Please stop calling me a sexist, I don't like it, here's some facts about sexism at YC and in the industry in general."

You're looking too deeply into this, I think.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Female Founders by wanda on Friday January 10, 2014 @08:38PM (#7041037)

>You're looking too deeply into this, I think.

That's what HN does.

I dunno. Allow me to share some thoughts as a young woman.

I had no problem getting into computer programming when I was young.

I had no problem getting accepted to a high-ranking university and graduating mathematics.

I had no problem completing a master's in computer science.

I had no problem finding resources for programming because they're already there, written by men and women. They just don't have "women's" or "for girls" written on the cover in large, brightly-coloured, friendly script.

So I don't really see what the fuss is about. Couldn't the low number of female computer scientists be due to the fact that not many girls are actually interested in such things? Maybe women can think and perceive what is around them for themselves, and don't need charities to show them the "hidden option" of programming?

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Addendum: before somebody jumps to the conclusion that I'm from a wealthy background, I'm working class, a humble chain-smoking serf. I'm from a bloody poor family and my CV has more bartending credentials than tech. I've never even dreamed of owning a current-gen Macbook, in stark contrast to every student I see these days, all seeming to have thousands of pounds worth of hardware without working a day in their lives. I've been using the same Linux machine for half a decade.

Libraries are free. If you're interested in doing something and you have the aptitude, you don't need to be spoon-fed by liberals.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Female Founders by tomp on Saturday January 11, 2014 @06:00AM (#7042284)

Finally, thank you! I totally agree with you. I find that the current crusade against "prejudice" (against different social groups) in programming is largely caused by the fact that programmers have gone from "uncool nerds" to "cool rich kids" during the financial crisis. As a consequence of that, many people wish they were programmers, and they encourage kids to be programmers "because it will earn them a good wage" and not "because it's what you're interested about". That is the same reason many people become lawyers and doctors - not because they genuinely want that, but because of the prestige and money one gets by being a doctor or a lawyer. However, personally I would rather be represented/operated by a lawyer/doctor who is in it because of genuine interest, not because of the money. The "real" hackers who have been programming since young age, since before it was cool, have demonstrated that they are really interested in technology, and not just because it's hip or it will make them rich.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Female Founders by ceol on Friday January 10, 2014 @11:48PM (#7041630)

> Couldn't the low number of female computer scientists be due to the fact that not many girls are actually interested in such things?

That really doesn't help anything. Why are they not interested? Are you saying something in the core of being a woman makes them not want to code?

> spoon-fed by liberals.

Something something true colors.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Female Founders by mcv on Saturday January 11, 2014 @08:39PM (#7044737)

> We have different values, priorities, and hormones than women, and given the same scenarios we're likely to come to a different conclusion than a woman.

We have different hormones, definitely. But different values and priorities? Different conclusions? I (a man) have very different values and priorities from quite a lot of men. Men often come to different conclusions than other men.

This is not a fundamental men vs women difference. People are different. Men and women are both people.

[ Parent | on HN ]