1060 lines
55 KiB
Plaintext
1060 lines
55 KiB
Plaintext
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HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux
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Val Henson
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2002-10-29
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Revision History
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Revision 1.1 2002-10-29 Revised by: VH
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Minor rewrites, typo fixes
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Revision 1.0 2002-10-25 Revised by: JYG
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Fixed validation errors, added license, abstract, versioning, etc.
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Revision .9 2002-10-01 Revised by: VH
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Initial version
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Copyright (c) 2002 Val Henson This document may be reproduced or distributed
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in any form, without prior permission, provided that all such copies or
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distributions include this copyright statement and the warranty disclaimer
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contained in this paragraph. This document is provided on an "AS IS" basis
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only, with no warranties, express or implied. All usage of the information in
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this document is at your own risk.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
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1.1. Audience
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1.2. What problem? Sexism is dead!
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1.3. About the author
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2. Why are there so few women in Linux?
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2.1. Women are less confident
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2.2. Women have fewer opportunities for friendship or mentoring
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2.3. Women are discouraged from an early age
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2.4. Computing perceived as non-social
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2.5. Lack of female role models
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2.6. Games, classes aimed towards men
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2.7. Advertising, media say computers are for men
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2.8. Life-work balance more important to women
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2.9. Reasons women avoid Linux specifically
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3. Do's and don't's of encouraging women in Linux
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3.1. Don't tell sexist jokes
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3.2. Do protest sexist jokes
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3.3. Don't call people bitches
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3.4. Do show some respect
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3.5. Don't take the keyboard away
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3.6. Do give directions and explain them clearly
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3.7. Don't make sexual advances towards women
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3.8. Do act friendly
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3.9. Don't complain about the lack of women in computing
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3.10. Do encourage women in computing
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3.11. Don't stare and point when women arrive
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3.12. Do treat new arrivals politely
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3.13. Don't treat women stereotypically
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3.14. Do treat women as normal people
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3.15. Don't criticize too much
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3.16. Do compliment
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3.17. Don't invite only male speakers
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3.18. Do ask women to speak
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3.19. Don't micro-specialize
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3.20. Do discuss broader topics
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3.21. Don't make your meetings hard to attend
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3.22. Do make meetings easy to attend
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3.23. Don't make new people feel unwelcome
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3.24. Do help new people get involved
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3.25. Don't underestimate girlfriends or wives
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3.26. Do treat girlfriends and wives as independent people
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4. But I don't do that!
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A. LinuxChix
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This article explains some of the difficulties and biases women face in
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the Linux community and examines various strategies for addressing those
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difficulties in order to encourage more participation by women.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1. Introduction
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At the 2002 Ottawa Linux Symposium, I hosted a LinuxChix Birds Of a Feather
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session. During the BOF and throughout the conference, I heard the same set
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of questions:
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"My girlfriend hates Windows, how can I encourage her to use Linux?"
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"Almost no women attend my local LUG. How can I fix this?"
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"Why aren't there more women in open source?"
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Clearly, people in the Linux community would like for more women to be
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involved in Linux, but most people don't know why so few women are involved
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or how to change that. This HOWTO is an effort to summarize the explanations,
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recommendations, and opinions of the women who already are interested and
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active in Linux. This document began with the verbatim recommendations of the
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women who attended the LinuxChix BOF, and was added to by many more women in
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the months following the original BOF. In other words, this HOWTO represents
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the feelings and opinions of real women involved in Linux. While we represent
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the women who "made it," we still have fairly important insights into why
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other women left or never entered the Linux community, as well as being
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keenly aware of the pressures which are currently pushing us out of the
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community.
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In this HOWTO, we'll talk about why women stay out of computing in general,
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why they stay away from Linux in particular, and what you can do to help
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encourage women in Linux. We hope that this HOWTO will result in more women
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using, installing, and developing Linux.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.1. Audience
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This document is intended mainly for the male Linux enthusiast who would like
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to see more women involved in Linux. Its secondary audience is both men and
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women who have been too busy having fun with Linux and computers to sit down
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and think about why most women don't share their interests. We hope you'll
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come away from this HOWTO with some understanding of why women stay away from
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Linux and with a few ideas about what you can do to reverse that trend.
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This HOWTO is not directed towards people who aren't concerned about the lack
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of women in Linux, or think that women are better off staying away from
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Linux. If you don't already believe that women are being driven away from
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Linux and computers by external causes, this HOWTO probably won't convince
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you otherwise (although it may give you some interesting avenues of research
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to follow up on).
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This HOWTO is definitely not intended to help male Linux geeks find female
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Linux geeks to date. The central paradox of women and Linux is this: often,
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the people most anxious for more women in Linux are also the people most
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likely to accidentally drive them away. Frequently, men who want more women
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in Linux solely so they have a better chance of finding a girlfriend end up
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acting in ways that end up driving women away instead! This HOWTO will try to
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explain which behaviors drive women away from Linux and which behaviors
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encourage them.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.2. What problem? Sexism is dead!
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A sentiment I hear frequently: "What problem? There's no problem! Sexism is
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dead! Women are staying out of Linux because they want to!" If you feel this
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way, you may change your opinion by the time you finish reading this HOWTO. I
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also used to believe that sexism was dead. Shortly after joining several
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women in computing mailing lists, I realized how wrong I was. Week after
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week, women have new stories about how they were discriminated against and
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insulted because they were women. These stories aren't decades old, nor do
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they involve people who grew up when sexism was more acceptable. These are
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day-to-day experiences of today's women, in modern settings, who are being
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driven out of their chosen profession by sexism. This isn't theoretical--many
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women actually leave the field of computers entirely because of blatantly
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sexist incidents involving superiors at work or at school.
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Read the links below for my favorite example of modern-day sexism:
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Initial post to the Sydney LUG mailing list, by a woman:
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00286.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00286.html
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Follow-up posts diagnosing the problem as "over-stressed female":
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00290.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00290.html
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00312.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00312.html
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Gee, surprise, these two responses are enough to drive her away:
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00313.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00313.html
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Hysterically funny and heroic response from another woman:
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00317.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00317.html
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Despite the pointed sarcasm, obnoxious man still doesn't get it:
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00319.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00319.html
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A perfect response from a man who does get it:
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[http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00321.html]
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http://lists.slug.org.au/archives/slug-chat/2001/October/msg00321.html
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Sexism is alive and well, and it is driving women out of Linux. You can argue
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that the Linux users joking about "over-stressed females" in the above posts
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are ignorant, or stupid, or well-meaning, or should in some way not be
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labeled sexist, but the result of their actions is that women are leaving
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Linux, something we would like to prevent.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.3. About the author
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Val Henson is a Linux kernel developer, an active member of LinuxChix, and
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female. Her interests include operating systems research, women and computer
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science, and fine beer. Many other women collaborated with her to produce
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this HOWTO, including:
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Raven Alder
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Suzi Anvin
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Poppy Casper
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Claudia "Texchanchan" Crowley
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Steph Donovan
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Joy Goodreau
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Telsa Gwynne
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Amy Hieter
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Hanna Linder
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Anna McDonald
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Marcia Barret Nice
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Miriam Rainsford
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Carla Schroder
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Jenn Vesperman
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Jenny Wu
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Megan "Piglet" Zurawicz
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Safari
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>And many others who wish to remain anonymous.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2. Why are there so few women in Linux?
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Women stay out of Linux for many of the same reasons they stay out of
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computing in general, plus a few reasons specific to Linux. Many excellent
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books and research papers have investigated this topic in depth, but we can
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only summarize the top reasons why women avoid computing as a whole. We'll
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also debunk some common theories about why women stay out of computing in
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general.
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Three good overall resources for the topic of women in computing are:
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"Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing" by Jane Margolis and Allan
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Fisher
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[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262133989] http://www.amazon.com/
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exec/obidos/ASIN/0262133989
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Women in Computing Keyword List
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[http://women.acm.org/search/key_list.php] http://women.acm.org/search/
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key_list.php
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(Some of the papers referred to by this list are available online, but not
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all.)
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"Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists" by Dr. Ellen Spertus
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[http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/pap/pap.html] http://
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www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/pap/pap.html
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Let's start by examining two of the most common explanations for why there
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are so few women in computing: "Women just aren't interested in computers,"
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and "Women aren't as smart as men." The problem with the statement, "Women
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just aren't interested in computers," is that it doesn't actually say
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anything. It's equivalent to answering the question, "Why is the sky blue?"
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with "The sky just is blue." The implicit argument here is that women are
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genetically predetermined from conception to not be interested in computers.
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Very few people are willing to say exactly that in so many words, but that is
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the message behind the "just aren't" theory. If you are unwilling to accept
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that women's lack of interest in computing is genetically predetermined (and
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I hope you aren't willing to accept it), you need to start exploring what
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environmental causes are involved.
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A more explicit version of this theory is that "Women aren't as smart as
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men," or any of the usual corollaries--women aren't as good at some skill as
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men are, usually mathematics, spatial reasoning, or logic. Newsweek regularly
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trumpets studies finding gender-related mental differences while ignoring the
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(far more common) studies which find no difference at all. Frequently, other
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researchers are unable to duplicate the results or find flaws in the original
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researchers' methods, but those stories tend to get much less press. These
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studies also make no attempt to control for differences in the upbringing of
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men and women. For example, studies frequently show that women have better
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developed linguistic capability in some way. This is taken as proof, at least
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by the press, that women are genetically predisposed to be more verbal than
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men. But at the same time, studies also show that young women are rewarded
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more than young men for verbalization. The sheer existence of physical
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differences between male and female brains (an idea still in dispute) is not
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in and of itself proof that men and women are born with differences in mental
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capacity. We still need to separate out what differences are caused by
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genetics, and which are caused by the environment. As a result, if you ask
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the experts, the only consensus on gender-related mental differences is that
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there is no consensus. This is an area of ongoing research, where results
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will continue to be hotly debated for decades or centuries. (My personal
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opinion is that men and women do have some innate, genetically based
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differences which result in tendencies towards different behaviors, but I
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won't guess what they are or how strongly they influence behavior. Human
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beings are extremely adaptable creatures, so I suspect the genetic
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differences are minor compared to differences in environment.)
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Something else to keep in mind is that similar arguments have been made
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about many other fields when women first began joining them, from medical
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science to education. For example, women couldn't be doctors because they
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weren't physically strong enough to set broken bones, would faint at the
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sight of blood, or didn't have the proper bedside manner. Those arguments
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were abandoned when women turned out to be just as good doctors and teachers
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as men were. Maybe men will turn out to be better at computer science than
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women, but history does not support that hypothesis.
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A good reference for the general topic of measuring differences between human
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groups and the motivation behind those measurements is The Mismeasure of Man
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by Steven Jay Gould. Scientists have been "proving" differences in the brains
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and bodies of groups of humans for centuries, although in hindsight both
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their methods and their results were flawed. For example, Stephen Jay Gould
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reviews the methods of one scientist measuring skull capacity in men and
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women of different races (and by implication, brain size and intelligence).
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The scientist originally measured the volume of the skulls by packing them
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with linseed, which is somewhat compressible, and confirmed his hypothesis
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that white men tended to have larger skulls. When he later remeasured the
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volume of the skulls with incompressible lead shot, he discovered that much
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of the differences in volume between the skulls disappeared. He had been
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subconsciously stuffing the skulls belonging to white males with more linseed
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than the skulls belonging to women or non-white men. Keep this story in mind
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when you read studies claiming to find that some brain structure is a
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different size in men and women.
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Now that we've addressed some common misconceptions about women and
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computing, let's look at the real reasons why women stay out of Linux and
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computing. I personally believe that the tendencies and behaviors I'm about
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to describe are the result of the way most women are raised, in other words,
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they are the result of gender socialization. I'm not claiming that women are
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born less confident, or anything else, I'm just observing general tendencies
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in women and pointing out how Linux culture discourages people with those
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tendencies. Many of the reasons I'm about to list also apply to other
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underrepresented groups in computing or science.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.1. Women are less confident
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Women severely underestimate their abilities in many areas, but especially
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with respect to computers. One study about this topic is Undergraduate Women
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in Computer Science: Experience, Motivation, and Culture: http://
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www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~gendergap/papers/sigcse97/sigcse97.html
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For example, while 53% of the male computer science freshman rated themselves
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as highly prepared for their CS courses, 0% of the female CS freshman rated
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themselves similarly. But at the end of the year, 6 out the 7 female students
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interviewed had either an A or B average. Objective ratings (such as grade
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point averages or quality and speed of programming) don't agree with most
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women's self-estimation. I personally encountered this phenomenon: Despite
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plenty of objective evidence to the contrary, including grades, time spent on
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assignments, and high placement in a programming contest, I still didn't
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consider myself to be at the top of my class in college. Looking back
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objectively, it seems clear to me that I was performing as well or better
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than many of the far more confident men in my class.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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|
|||
|
2.2. Women have fewer opportunities for friendship or mentoring
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Like any other discipline, computer science is easier to learn when you have
|
|||
|
friends and mentors to ask questions of and form a community with. However,
|
|||
|
for various reasons, men usually tend to mentor and become friends with other
|
|||
|
men. When the gender imbalance is as large as it is in computer science,
|
|||
|
women find themselves with few or no other women to share their interests
|
|||
|
with. While women have male friends and mentors, it's often harder and more
|
|||
|
difficult for women to find a community and then to fit in with it. Many
|
|||
|
women leave the field who would have stayed if they had been male.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It's true that this is a feedback loop, fewer women in computing leads to
|
|||
|
fewer women in computing. It's important to understand that this feedback
|
|||
|
loop causes women to leave computing who wouldn't have left if, all other
|
|||
|
things being equal, they had been men. This is important because male
|
|||
|
classmates often assume their female counterparts leave the field because
|
|||
|
they "just aren't good enough." Women's low self-estimation contributes to
|
|||
|
this false impression.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.3. Women are discouraged from an early age
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Societal pressure for women to avoid computing begins at an extremely early
|
|||
|
age. Preschoolers already have conceptions about which jobs are men's jobs,
|
|||
|
and which jobs are women's. An excellent review of studies documenting gender
|
|||
|
role socialization from an early age can be found in Dr. Ellen Spertus's
|
|||
|
excellent "Why are There so Few Female Computer Scientists?" paper: [http://
|
|||
|
www.ai.mit.edu/people/ellens/Gender/pap/node6.html] http://www.ai.mit.edu/
|
|||
|
people/ellens/Gender/pap/node6.html
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once you realize that men and women are treated differently from,
|
|||
|
practically, birth, it becomes hard to claim that any woman hasn't
|
|||
|
experienced discrimination. Sure, if you're lucky, no one ever explicitly
|
|||
|
told you that you couldn't work with computers because you were a girl, but
|
|||
|
every time you raised your voice, an adult told you to quiet down, while the
|
|||
|
boy next to you continued to shriek. This is a handicap later on in life,
|
|||
|
when being loud and insistent is the only way to get your opinion heard--for
|
|||
|
example, on the linux-kernel mailing list.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The most striking example of a subtle bias against computing for women is
|
|||
|
that, in the U.S. at least, the family computer is more likely to be kept in
|
|||
|
a boy's room than in a girl's room. Margolis and Fisher give several telling
|
|||
|
examples of this trend and its effects on pages 22-24 of Unlocking the
|
|||
|
Clubhouse.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.4. Computing perceived as non-social
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Working with computers is perceived to be a solitary occupation involving
|
|||
|
little or no day-to-day human contact. Since women are socialized to be more
|
|||
|
friendly, helpful, and generally more interested in human interaction than
|
|||
|
men, computing tends to be less attractive to women. I want to stress that
|
|||
|
computing is only perceived to be a non-social activity. While it is possible
|
|||
|
for a programmer to be relatively successful while being actively anti-social
|
|||
|
and programming does tend to attract people less comfortable with human
|
|||
|
interaction, computing is as social as you make it. During college, I spent
|
|||
|
most of my computer time in a computer lab at the school with several of my
|
|||
|
best friends. And recently, I changed jobs specifically in order to have more
|
|||
|
day-to-day contact with other programmers. For me, programming by myself is
|
|||
|
less fun or creative than it is when I have people around to talk to about my
|
|||
|
program.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Oddly, many occupations which are arguably less social than computing are
|
|||
|
still very attractive to women. Writing, either fiction or non-fiction, is a
|
|||
|
good example of a field that requires many hours of solitary concentration to
|
|||
|
be successful. Perhaps the answer to the paradox lies in the perception of
|
|||
|
individual writers as still being interested in social interaction, and just
|
|||
|
not having much opportunity for it.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.5. Lack of female role models
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Women in computing do exist, but most people aren't lucky enough to meet a
|
|||
|
female computer scientist. Women are socialized to be modest and avoid
|
|||
|
self-promotion, which makes them even less visible than they might otherwise
|
|||
|
be. Mothers and female schoolteachers regularly protest that they don't know
|
|||
|
anything about computers. As a result, girls grow up without examples of
|
|||
|
women who are either competent or confident with computers. I encourage all
|
|||
|
women in computing to be as visible as possible--accept all interviews, take
|
|||
|
credit publicly--even when you don't want to. You may be embarrassed, but by
|
|||
|
allowing yourself to be publicized or promoted, you might change a young
|
|||
|
girl's life.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.6. Games, classes aimed towards men
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We all know that most computer games are written by and for men. They feature
|
|||
|
non-stop gore and women with unrealistically huge breasts, but hey, if that's
|
|||
|
the market, what's the problem?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The best way I know how to illustrate the problem with the computer game
|
|||
|
industry is to tell a story from a Salon.com article (http://
|
|||
|
archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/05/22/e3_2001/ ) about the 2001 E3 gaming
|
|||
|
convention:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"A creative director for a leading development team cheerfully described to
|
|||
|
me how its Q.A. team made a prostitute sport a game's logo on her body during
|
|||
|
a combination gonzo video/gangbang session."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This was only one of many similar stories and events at the conference. How
|
|||
|
can an industry that views company-sponsored gangbangs as somehow appropriate
|
|||
|
*not* be driving women out of the computing arena in droves?
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.7. Advertising, media say computers are for men
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The next time you see a computer ad featuring a person, pay attention to that
|
|||
|
person's gender. Most likely, the person is a man. Frequently, when I do see
|
|||
|
women in a computer ad, they're wearing freakish makeup and some form of
|
|||
|
colorful skintight vinyl, or else they're acting dumb and helpless and
|
|||
|
waiting for the man to show them how to use the computer. Often, they don't
|
|||
|
appear to actually be using the computer and are just sort of decoratively
|
|||
|
posed near it. Movies and TV shows are no better. When a woman is depicted as
|
|||
|
a programmer, often more screen time is spent admiring her shapely body and
|
|||
|
kissable lips than demonstrating her competence as a programmer. Notable
|
|||
|
example: Angelina Jolie in "Hackers."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Men and women are constantly bombarded with media images which say: "Men use
|
|||
|
computers, women don't." It's difficult to overcome daily indoctrination of
|
|||
|
this sort.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.8. Life-work balance more important to women
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Being good at computing is considered to be an activity that requires
|
|||
|
spending nearly all your waking hours either using a computer or learning
|
|||
|
about them. While this is another misperception, women generally are less
|
|||
|
willing to obsess on one topic, preferring to lead a more balanced life.
|
|||
|
Women often believe that if they enter computing, they will inexorably lose
|
|||
|
that balance, and avoid the field altogether instead. During college, I was
|
|||
|
personally very proud of not spending my leisure time playing computer games
|
|||
|
because it refuted the programmer stereotype of being at the computer all
|
|||
|
day, every day.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2.9. Reasons women avoid Linux specifically
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Linux development is more competitive and fierce than most areas of
|
|||
|
programming. Often, the only reward (or the major reward) for writing code is
|
|||
|
status and the approval of your peers. Far more often, the "reward" is a
|
|||
|
scathing flame, or worse yet, no response at all. Since women are socialized
|
|||
|
to not be competitive and avoid conflict, and since they have low
|
|||
|
self-confidence to begin with, Linux and open source in general are even more
|
|||
|
difficult than most areas of computing for women to get and stay involved in.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3. Do's and don't's of encouraging women in Linux
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Encouraging women in Linux involves both learning what to do, and learning
|
|||
|
what to stop doing. We'll present our ideas in "do" and "don't" pairs, since
|
|||
|
having only a list of things to do or a list of things not to do is not as
|
|||
|
helpful as having both. Some of these suggestions may seem insultingly
|
|||
|
obvious to you personally, but for many other people, they aren't obvious.
|
|||
|
Each of these suggestions is based on multiple real-life encounters with
|
|||
|
people for whom these ideas weren't obvious. Try not to dismiss any of the
|
|||
|
ideas--these are real suggestions from real women, the women you presumably
|
|||
|
want to attract to Linux. Also, most of these suggestions are not
|
|||
|
gender-specific, and will help to attract all types of people to Linux.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.1. Don't tell sexist jokes
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Sexist jokes are the number one way to drive women out of any group, and they
|
|||
|
are more common than many people realize. I have more than once heard a man
|
|||
|
say that he doesn't make that kind of joke, and then hours or minutes later,
|
|||
|
hear the same person make a joke about pregnant women or PMS. Sometime he
|
|||
|
just doesn't realize that he made a sexist joke, for example, "blonde jokes"
|
|||
|
are actually "dumb women" jokes. Sometimes he tells me that it's okay to make
|
|||
|
a sexist joke if it's true, or it's funny (funny to whom?). What some people
|
|||
|
fail to realize is that jokes about gender of any sort almost always make fun
|
|||
|
of women, and will make most women angry, regardless of the context. It
|
|||
|
doesn't help to first make a sexist joke about men and then one about women.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can argue that women shouldn't be so sensitive (and I will disagree with
|
|||
|
you) but even then, regardless of should or should not, your comments and
|
|||
|
jokes are driving women away. If that's not what you want, then don't make
|
|||
|
sexist jokes. If you're not sure if your joke is sexist, find something else
|
|||
|
to say.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.2. Do protest sexist jokes
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The next time you see someone joking about women on your local mailing list
|
|||
|
or in person, complain about it. It's difficult to do this without making
|
|||
|
yourself a target for ridicule, but it's even more difficult for a woman to
|
|||
|
do the same thing. Women keep silent when we see sexist jokes because if we
|
|||
|
protest, we will immediately be attacked for being over-sensitive, uptight,
|
|||
|
or a "feminazi." (Note: NEVER use the term "feminazi." It discredits all
|
|||
|
feminists, and trivializes the victims of the Nazi Holocaust. Consider how
|
|||
|
ridiculous it sounds to call people like Rush Limbaugh "male chauvinazis" and
|
|||
|
you may understand why "feminazi" is so emotionally loaded.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The best way to fight back against sexist jokes is with humor. If someone
|
|||
|
replies to a post about the technical achievements of a woman with "Is she
|
|||
|
single?" reply with, "Gee, Jeff, no wonder YOU'RE still single." Every time a
|
|||
|
woman sees a sexist joke or comment, she feels angry, left out, and
|
|||
|
belittled. Every time a woman sees a man stand up against this behavior, she
|
|||
|
feels included and valued.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.3. Don't call people bitches
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Using the word "bitch" (and several other words) is derogatory to women, no
|
|||
|
matter whom the word is referring to. I wouldn't have bothered to include
|
|||
|
this except that it's apparently not as obvious as I thought, as I have
|
|||
|
recently heard Linux developers use "bitch" in a serious manner with apparent
|
|||
|
nonchalance.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.4. Do show some respect
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Talk respectfully about all women, not just the women you're attracted to, as
|
|||
|
well as all other kinds of humans of all ages and appearances. If you don't
|
|||
|
do this, women will tend to assume that you will treat them as badly as the
|
|||
|
people you're insulting and avoid you.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.5. Don't take the keyboard away
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is a general problem when teaching anyone something new, but it happens
|
|||
|
more often to women. Someone asks a question, and instead of telling that
|
|||
|
person the answer, you take away the keyboard and type in the command
|
|||
|
yourself. Don't do this! It makes it much more difficult to learn and it
|
|||
|
makes the other person feel stupid and helpless. In general, give people a
|
|||
|
chance to learn how to do things themselves if they're interested in
|
|||
|
learning. You may think you're doing a friend a favor by fixing her Apache
|
|||
|
configuration while she's gone, but if she's trying to learn how to configure
|
|||
|
Apache, then you're not actually helping her.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.6. Do give directions and explain them clearly
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
While it is much harder for you to take the time and patience to explain what
|
|||
|
to do and why, and then spell out the command to type, it's worth it in the
|
|||
|
long run because the other person is learning and you're less likely to ever
|
|||
|
have to answer that question again. Specifically, women will feel more
|
|||
|
confident in their own abilities if you allow them to type the command
|
|||
|
themselves.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.7. Don't make sexual advances towards women
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Imagine a bar or a pub full of sports fans, fans of a game which you don't
|
|||
|
know much about or like. Imagine that they're all taller and stronger than
|
|||
|
you, speak in a language you only halfway understand, and belittle anyone who
|
|||
|
isn't totally focused on their sport. Now imagine that you walk into this
|
|||
|
bar, wearing a shirt that says, "I AM NOT A FAN OF ANY SPORT." Just imagine
|
|||
|
it for a minute. How would you feel? Nervous? Afraid? Different? Out of
|
|||
|
place?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You begin to have a teeny-tiny idea of what it's like to be the only woman in
|
|||
|
a large group of men.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Keep that feeling of nervousness in mind when you read the rest of this
|
|||
|
paragraph. When you immediately make a sexual advance to a woman at a LUG or
|
|||
|
online, you're making her feel like she's not part of the community, like
|
|||
|
she's under attack, and like she is risking being ostracized if she turns you
|
|||
|
down or offends you. Remember, this isn't a friendly one-on-one situation
|
|||
|
where she feels comfortable turning you down, she's surrounded by the
|
|||
|
equivalent of the aforementioned huge sports fans. She's trying to fit in and
|
|||
|
be part of the group, and by hitting on her, you're cutting her out of the
|
|||
|
herd and isolating her from the group. Women grow up with the constant fear
|
|||
|
and awareness of being attacked by men, and as silly as it may seem, it
|
|||
|
colors all her interactions, no matter how safe or mundane they may seem to
|
|||
|
men.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Like any other human being, a woman wants to have friends and be appreciated
|
|||
|
for who she is. Every time she gets an email asking her on a date, she is
|
|||
|
reminded that she isn't viewed as part of the group, but instead as
|
|||
|
different, an object of desire, and is certainly not being judged on her
|
|||
|
technical merit alone.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This may be hard to stomach, but you need to not hit on women who show up for
|
|||
|
Linux events, at least not right away. In all likelihood, you are NOT
|
|||
|
throwing away your only chance at true love by not coming on to her
|
|||
|
immediately, but you are throwing away your chance to have a fun new member
|
|||
|
of the Linux community. And even if you still think you're missing a chance
|
|||
|
at true love, keep in mind that many women brave enough to show up at a LUG
|
|||
|
or your local mailing list will frequently make the first move anyway. By
|
|||
|
hitting on them at the first opportunity, you're scaring them away, and
|
|||
|
you're also scaring away all the other women who might have become interested
|
|||
|
if the first woman had stayed.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This goes double for women you meet over email or on IRC. You may think that
|
|||
|
your "Are you single?" line is hysterically witty and suave, but she's heard
|
|||
|
it a million times. Even if you're joking, even if you already have a
|
|||
|
girlfriend or are married--don't do it.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.8. Do act friendly
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When women aren't being hit on, we're often being completely ignored,
|
|||
|
instead. This isn't any better. Women new to a group often want the same
|
|||
|
things men want - we want to feel welcomed, we want to talk about subjects of
|
|||
|
mutual interest, we want to make friends. When a woman says something, listen
|
|||
|
and respond in a friendly manner. Start a conversation and find a topic
|
|||
|
you're both interested in talking about. Don't assume that because she's a
|
|||
|
woman, she has stereotypically female interests or opinions, instead, keep an
|
|||
|
open mind and listen for clues about what she is interested in. Most likely,
|
|||
|
she has interests beyond hair, makeup, and movie stars if she's involved in
|
|||
|
Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Several women have complained that all men seem to be able to talk about with
|
|||
|
them is why women stay away from computers. While it's an important issue,
|
|||
|
women would like to talk about something else most of the time, and we would
|
|||
|
especially not like to be reminded of how "weird" we are when we first join a
|
|||
|
group. Wait until she's settled in and feels comfortable before bringing up
|
|||
|
the subject if you're curious about it.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.9. Don't complain about the lack of women in computing
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It's useful and constructive to talk about the lack of women in computing
|
|||
|
when you are approaching it from the viewpoint of the women who are being
|
|||
|
left out of an exciting and rewarding field. It's sad and pathetic to talk
|
|||
|
about the lack of women in computing from the viewpoint of a man who blames
|
|||
|
his lackluster love life on the lack of women in computing. The best way to
|
|||
|
annoy and drive away women is to talk about the lack of women in computers in
|
|||
|
this way. Here are some of the more common reactions of a woman listening to
|
|||
|
a man whine about the lack of women in his field:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"What am I, invisible? Does he know I'm here?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Good to hear that I exist only to serve lonely men."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Pathetic. You're so pathetic."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Then why don't you do something about it instead of complaining?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Once again, everyone assumes that only men are listening."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Maybe I shouldn't be in this field."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"What's wrong with me that I'm here and other women aren't?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"He's so self-centered."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Not only am I in a meat market, I'm the chopped liver."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As you can see, not only does whining about the lack of women make you
|
|||
|
annoying to women, it also makes the women who are here more likely to leave.
|
|||
|
In no case does it result in a woman being more likely to date you.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.10. Do encourage women in computing
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Instead of complaining about the lack of women, start doing something about
|
|||
|
it. Take women's complaints seriously (starting with this HOWTO), read the
|
|||
|
studies on why women avoid computers, math, and science in general, and find
|
|||
|
ways that you can help encourage women. Be encouraging and supportive when
|
|||
|
other people discuss the reasons why women are being driven out of computing.
|
|||
|
If you have the opportunity, try to mentor women. Mentoring means guiding,
|
|||
|
encouraging, and counseling someone in their education and career. Not
|
|||
|
everyone is capable of mentoring, and it's difficult to find compatible
|
|||
|
mentors and mentees, but when it does work out, the results can be
|
|||
|
spectacular. Don't, however, think of mentoring as a way to find a girlfriend
|
|||
|
- all a mentor gets out of the relationship is reflected glory from your
|
|||
|
student and the joy of watching another person grow.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.11. Don't stare and point when women arrive
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Nobody likes being stared or pointed at. Why would a woman like it either?
|
|||
|
Many women complain that when they walk into a room of Linux enthusiasts,
|
|||
|
suddenly, the conversation stops, everyone turns around and looks, and few
|
|||
|
people even point to make sure their buddies can see what everyone is staring
|
|||
|
at. This is intimidating and unpleasant, and more than enough to make a woman
|
|||
|
swear never to return.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A good quote from Mia, a women in Linux:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"I've never bothered going to a LUG but I've been to other geek events
|
|||
|
where everyone has turned around and stared when I walked in... it felt
|
|||
|
more like the 'stranger walks into a bar scene' in a western than
|
|||
|
anything else."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
3.12. Do treat new arrivals politely
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When a woman walks into a LUG meeting or posts on a mailing list, act
|
|||
|
nonchalant. Try as much as possible to treat her like any other person you
|
|||
|
would like to have as part of your group. Remember, it's not flattering to
|
|||
|
remind her that she's one of a kind, special, rare, or weird. Start
|
|||
|
pretending that women are a normal part of the Linux community and you'll go
|
|||
|
a long way towards making that a reality.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.13. Don't treat women stereotypically
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Don't assume that all women like cooking, sewing, and babies, and are at the
|
|||
|
LUG or on the mailing list only because their boyfriend, son, or husband are
|
|||
|
interested in Linux. One woman says that every time someone in her LUG
|
|||
|
explained something to her, they would use an analogy to cooking or babies,
|
|||
|
assuming that those were the subjects she was most familiar with. Don't
|
|||
|
assume we aren't interested in cars, math, fighter jets, or robotics. Don't
|
|||
|
assume that we don't know how to compile a kernel--I personally know at least
|
|||
|
fifteen women who can compile their own kernels and several of those also
|
|||
|
write kernel code. If you're lucky, one of them will show up to your LUG or
|
|||
|
mailing list, and you wouldn't want to insult her by assuming she couldn't
|
|||
|
even install her own machine. Don't assume that she got interested in
|
|||
|
computers because she liked to chat or send instant messages. Women are about
|
|||
|
as likely to cuss as men--don't do a double-take if you cuss in front of a
|
|||
|
woman. If she's read any of the kernel code (notably arch/sparc/), she's
|
|||
|
heard of the word "fuck" before.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.14. Do treat women as normal people
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As much as you can, act like the women in your group are just normal people,
|
|||
|
because we are just normal people. Some people complain, "Women want to be
|
|||
|
treated just like normal people, but then they tell me not to make sexist
|
|||
|
jokes around them! That's a paradox!" Well, if you define "normal people" as
|
|||
|
"the men I usually hang out with," then it is a paradox. If you include women
|
|||
|
in your definition of "normal people," and then treat normal people in a fair
|
|||
|
and respectful way, then women don't require any special treatment.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you're still unsure of how to treat women, try the following: Be friendly
|
|||
|
but not overbearing, be casual, start conversations the way you normally do,
|
|||
|
move on when the conversation is over. If you spend most of your time around
|
|||
|
a very specific subset of the male population, you will have to change your
|
|||
|
behavior to some degree, but this is just as true as if you were talking to a
|
|||
|
man from a totally different background. If you find that you have to heavily
|
|||
|
modify your behavior in order to not offend women, you should consider
|
|||
|
changing your behavior in all circumstances. No one is fooled if you simply
|
|||
|
stop making sexist jokes when women are around but continue to make them when
|
|||
|
(you think) women aren't around.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.15. Don't criticize too much
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Women are socialized to be far more sensitive to criticism than men, as well
|
|||
|
as more critical of themselves. As a result, women are far more likely to be
|
|||
|
driven off by heavy or unfair criticism than men. When you're tempted to
|
|||
|
criticize, try to remember that absolutely no one was born knowing how to
|
|||
|
compile a kernel and that at one point, you didn't know anything about Linux,
|
|||
|
either. People will lose interest in something if they perceive themselves as
|
|||
|
being bad at it, so if you want someone to continue being interested in
|
|||
|
Linux, don't criticize her so much that she believes she isn't any good at
|
|||
|
it.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.16. Do compliment
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Women have much lower self-confidence than men on average, and will generally
|
|||
|
judge themselves far more harshly than any outsider. Compliments help improve
|
|||
|
her self-confidence, which in turn keeps her interested in the subject. If
|
|||
|
she believes that she's not good at Linux, she'll probably stop working on
|
|||
|
Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The following are some guidelines for complimenting anyone:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Be sincere and truthful. If you really think her program is an ugly piece
|
|||
|
of garbage, don't tell her that you admire its syntactic beauty. Find
|
|||
|
something you can honestly admire and compliment that.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Be specific. "You're good at Linux," is meaningless, "You always know
|
|||
|
which distribution to recommend," is specific and therefore meaningful.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Be appropriate. Don't compliment a kernel developer on installing Linux.
|
|||
|
Don't compliment a gimp developer on her use of layers. Be sure that your
|
|||
|
compliment actually reflects a significant accomplishment rather than
|
|||
|
demonstrating your ignorance of her level of expertise.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Compare to yourself. If she learned bash scripting more quickly than you
|
|||
|
did, tell her so. Say, "Wow, you learned bash scripting after X months.
|
|||
|
It took me 2*X months to learn that." Or if she made a silly compilation
|
|||
|
mistake, tell her about your worst compilation mistake. When she learns
|
|||
|
that her mistakes are not unusual, she'll feel better.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Compliment before you criticize. If you do have a constructive piece of
|
|||
|
criticism, it's a good idea to start out by telling her what she did
|
|||
|
right.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Compliment and don't criticize. Don't always follow a compliment with a
|
|||
|
criticism. More often, compliment her and be done with it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Don't brag. Saying, out of the blue, "She can compile her own kernel!"
|
|||
|
and beaming fondly upon her is not complimentary, it's bragging about her
|
|||
|
abilities as if you are responsible in some way for her success. Parents
|
|||
|
are especially prone to bragging. Pointing out her expertise in an
|
|||
|
unobtrusive and subtle manner is much better - "Oh, well, if you have a
|
|||
|
question about kernel compilation, she might be able to help you better
|
|||
|
than I can." When someone points out my capabilities in this manner, it's
|
|||
|
indescribably wonderful.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You almost certainly shouldn't compliment her on her hair, her face, her
|
|||
|
body, or her sweet temperament. If she's interested in Linux, she is, by
|
|||
|
definition, a geek, and probably wants to be complimented on her
|
|||
|
intelligence, abilities, and hard work. Compliment her on installing Linux
|
|||
|
for the first time, on her customized desktop, on her intelligent and
|
|||
|
interesting questions during the last meeting. A compliment on anything else
|
|||
|
is inappropriate and will be seen as a sexual advance (because it almost
|
|||
|
always is), and will make her feel more uncomfortable and less confident.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.17. Don't invite only male speakers
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If all your speakers are always men, women will notice and not feel welcome.
|
|||
|
Role models people can identify with are important to staying interested in a
|
|||
|
field.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.18. Do ask women to speak
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It's surprisingly easy to find technically brilliant female computer
|
|||
|
scientists willing to come speak to your group. If you explain that you are
|
|||
|
trying to encourage women in computers, many women will be even more likely
|
|||
|
to speak at your event. Women speakers are probably the number one way to get
|
|||
|
women to come to your event. They will be able to see a role model, ask her
|
|||
|
questions about her experiences, and for a few hours at least, not feel like
|
|||
|
the only woman who's interested in computers. Be sure that when you do invite
|
|||
|
a woman speaker that you advertise the event well, especially to women.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
One woman says that she noticed her LUG paid less attention to and was ruder
|
|||
|
to women speakers. She thought it might be because the members dismissed the
|
|||
|
possibility of her knowing anything they didn't already know. Be sure not to
|
|||
|
let this happen to your women speakers.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.19. Don't micro-specialize
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Maybe you and your friends are perfectly happy to show up to your local LUG
|
|||
|
and talk about the same topics (the latest video card, first-person shooters,
|
|||
|
robots) every week, but for whatever reason, few women have the endless
|
|||
|
interest in minutiae that men often display. Try not to have all your
|
|||
|
speakers talk about micro-specialties, or always discuss the same areas of
|
|||
|
robotics.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.20. Do discuss broader topics
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Arrange for speakers on a wider range of issues than just technical
|
|||
|
specialties. Women tend to be more interested in political and social issues
|
|||
|
surrounding computing, and women also tend to have a broader range of
|
|||
|
technical interests within computer science. Try scheduling a discussion on
|
|||
|
compilers if you always end up talking about USB, or a review of the open
|
|||
|
source licenses instead of endlessly rehashing the discussion about
|
|||
|
binary-only Nvidia modules.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.21. Don't make your meetings hard to attend
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
About the worst LUG meeting possible: 10pm on Monday night, in a warehouse in
|
|||
|
downtown, the unmarked entrance is in a deserted and poorly lit alleyway, and
|
|||
|
no public transport is nearby. Oh, and we're serving pizza (choices: meat,
|
|||
|
double meat, and extra spicy meat) and cheap beer. Did I mention we're going
|
|||
|
out to a sports bar afterward?
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.22. Do make meetings easy to attend
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As usual, following these suggestions will make your meetings more attractive
|
|||
|
to everyone. Try to schedule your meetings at family and school friendly
|
|||
|
times - not too late in the evening. Make sure your meeting is in a safe,
|
|||
|
well lit place with easy access to public transportation, if your city has
|
|||
|
any. If you want new people to attend, the meeting place should be clearly
|
|||
|
marked and easy to find. If you serve food or drink, try to vary the menu a
|
|||
|
bit. After an informal survey, we discovered that women tend to prefer
|
|||
|
sandwiches, fruit, and vegetables instead of pizza. Chinese takeout is one
|
|||
|
way to easily provide a variety of different food. Consider having a
|
|||
|
vegetarian menu option. If members of the LUG socialize outside meetings, try
|
|||
|
to do things which are welcoming to people of different backgrounds.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.23. Don't make new people feel unwelcome
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If a new person shows up and all the established people refuse to talk to or
|
|||
|
acknowledge the new person, the new person is unlikely to come back. Most
|
|||
|
likely, everyone is just too shy to say hello, but that doesn't make any
|
|||
|
difference. Additionally, if other members immediately attack or challenge or
|
|||
|
just ignore everything the newcomer has to say, she won't be interested in
|
|||
|
returning.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.24. Do help new people get involved
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Ask new people to introduce themselves and talk about their own projects and
|
|||
|
interests for a bit. Try more informal meeting styles - instead of a speaker
|
|||
|
and a silent audience, have a panel question and answer session or a round
|
|||
|
table discussion. Let members speak for a few minutes on their own projects,
|
|||
|
so new people who share their interests know who to talk to. If you have
|
|||
|
someone who doesn't mind speaking to strange people, ask them to serve as
|
|||
|
host and welcome new people to the group or mailing list.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.25. Don't underestimate girlfriends or wives
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Many women involved in Linux or computing are also dating or married to men
|
|||
|
with similar interests. Many people then assume that the woman is only
|
|||
|
interested in Linux because her boyfriend or husband is. Women are sometimes
|
|||
|
introduced to Linux through a boyfriend (which shouldn't make their interest
|
|||
|
less valid or less important). More often, women become interested in Linux
|
|||
|
or computing, start making friends and meeting people in the field, and
|
|||
|
because there are so few women in the field, we unsurprisingly often have
|
|||
|
little difficulty finding a person to date in the same field. Don't conclude
|
|||
|
that because most women in Linux are dating or married to someone also
|
|||
|
involved in Linux, that women are only interested in Linux because of that
|
|||
|
relationship. For many women, interest in Linux predates her current
|
|||
|
relationship. I personally became interested in Linux while I was dating an
|
|||
|
English major who wouldn't know an operating system if it walked up and bit
|
|||
|
him.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
One of the LinuxChix reports that her first invitation to speak at a
|
|||
|
conference was as a member of a panel entitled "Wives of Hackers." The
|
|||
|
prominent open source celebrity who suggested the panel didn't understand why
|
|||
|
she was insulted. After all, her own work in open source was apparently
|
|||
|
insignificant compared to being the wife of a famous kernel hacker.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3.26. Do treat girlfriends and wives as independent people
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Girlfriends or wives of people interested in Linux also have their own lives
|
|||
|
and accomplishments, and frequently those are also in the area of Linux or
|
|||
|
open source or computing. Instead of treating her as an adjunct to her
|
|||
|
boyfriend or husband, recognize that she has her own interests and areas of
|
|||
|
expertise, and talk to her about them.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4. But I don't do that!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is perhaps a good time for some introspection. At the LinuxChix BOF at
|
|||
|
Ottawa Linux Symposium, we finished listing all the reasons why women stayed
|
|||
|
away from LUGs. A man from the local LUG raised his hand and said that no one
|
|||
|
at his LUG did any of the things we complained about, but they were still
|
|||
|
having difficulty attracting women. A woman from the same LUG raised her hand
|
|||
|
and said, "Yes, they do." She went on to say that only a few "bad apples"
|
|||
|
were doing these things, but those few were enough to drive off most women.
|
|||
|
This is a very important point: if your group has nine helpful and polite
|
|||
|
members, and one rude, sexist, loud member, most women are going to continue
|
|||
|
to stay away because of that one member. I realize that this isn't fair to
|
|||
|
the other people in the group, but that's reality. If your group is stuck
|
|||
|
with one bad apple, try a little peer pressure the next time he does
|
|||
|
something that will drive off women. Reply to his email, disagree with what
|
|||
|
he says--establish that you don't share his opinions. Just knowing that there
|
|||
|
is one other person in the group who is willing to publicly disagree with the
|
|||
|
"bad apple" will help immensely, and will make women more willing to stay.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In my own experience, I have over and over again heard a man say that he
|
|||
|
doesn't do any of these things, and then observed him hours or minutes later
|
|||
|
doing exactly what he claimed he doesn't do. I don't think any of those men
|
|||
|
were lying, just completely unaware. Making sexist jokes or comments seems to
|
|||
|
be the most unconscious behavior - many men just don't realize that what
|
|||
|
they're saying is offensive to women.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Also, it's definitely possible to have good intentions and still drive away
|
|||
|
women. You may think you're encouraging a woman by congratulating her on
|
|||
|
being brave enough to show up to an event, but you're actually pointing out
|
|||
|
to her that she's weird and unusual, rather than making her feel like part of
|
|||
|
the community. As one woman put it, "I know I'm an alien. You don't need to
|
|||
|
emphasize it." We're hoping that this HOWTO will help you realize when you
|
|||
|
are unintentionally driving away women.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you're curious about how your behavior appears to women, my best
|
|||
|
suggestion is to find a woman you know who tends to be blunt and outspoken,
|
|||
|
and ask her if she remembers you saying or doing something offensive to
|
|||
|
women. You might be surprised at her response. Remember, most women would
|
|||
|
rather chew off a leg than be rude to a man to his face, so it may be
|
|||
|
difficult to get an honest answer.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A. LinuxChix
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
LinuxChix is an active and growing organization run by and for women who are
|
|||
|
interested in Linux. Founded by Deb Richardson and currently run by Jenn
|
|||
|
Vesperman, LinuxChix specializes in providing a supportive and friendly
|
|||
|
environment for all Linux users and developers, but especially for women.
|
|||
|
LinuxChix is run by an international group of volunteers who believe in the
|
|||
|
importance of including women in the Linux community. Men may join LinuxChix,
|
|||
|
but the focus is on women and we attempt to maintain a female-dominated
|
|||
|
environment. The women involved in LinuxChix include several Linux kernel
|
|||
|
developers, a Mozilla developer, a member of the GNOME foundation, an
|
|||
|
O'Reilly author, system administrators, computer consultants, security
|
|||
|
experts, students from high school to Ph.D. level in many fields, literally
|
|||
|
hundreds of programmers of various sorts, and many computer hobbyists. If you
|
|||
|
are a woman interested in Linux, or you know a woman who is, LinuxChix is an
|
|||
|
excellent place to find a peer group.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
LinuxChix has recently added a number of features, web resources, and mailing
|
|||
|
lists. If you visited it more than a few months ago, you may want to take a
|
|||
|
second look. New features include Linux kernel hacking lessons, several new
|
|||
|
mailing lists, online programming courses, book and software reviews, and
|
|||
|
much much more. Many LinuxChix chapters have started or restarted recently
|
|||
|
(chapters exist to bring LinuxChix together for face-to-face meetings). The
|
|||
|
LinuxChix "development process" is open and friendly. We welcome new
|
|||
|
volunteers and ideas, just subscribe to the mailing lists and offer to help.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can find out more about LinuxChix at our website:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
[http://www.linuxchix.org] http://www.linuxchix.org
|