tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post5808368058919727960..comments2023-03-28T04:31:36.641-07:00Comments on The Pelican Map: Voice of exclusionSarah Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10960103679011306410noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-10010310443508868022012-11-23T04:51:38.859-08:002012-11-23T04:51:38.859-08:00Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Computer Scie...Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Computer Science is a really interesting case. Apparently it is an increasingly popular career choice for Indian women - it is well paid, indoors and safe, so is seen by parents as an acceptable choice for daughters. In the US much early computer programming was done by women, partly as an extension of secretarial work. Then somewhere along the line the boys took over (possibly when people realised there was money in software).<br /><br />Nice to hear your words of encouragement. It is very useful to remember that if you feel like you fit in you are probably not making a difference. <br />Sarah Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960103679011306410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-62698906933914286742012-11-22T13:32:25.201-08:002012-11-22T13:32:25.201-08:00Hi, I am also a woman in a male dominated field, s...Hi, I am also a woman in a male dominated field, software engineering. I studied in Spain and I got some raised eyebrows when I said I was going to become an engineer back in the day. I remember, that my degree in Spain back then was called Computer Engineering, and the statistics said that when they had changed the name from Computer Sciences to Computer Engineering a few years back, they lost a big percentage of women. So I have always believed that women are generally scared of "engineering", probably because of the cultural and sexist connotations of the word. And what does it mean to be an engineer? I didn't realise the true nature of engineering until I started to act like an engineer, before I was just studying engineering or wanting to become an engineer without knowing what that means. <br /><br />To be honest, I have had a few moments in my career where I felt out of place particularly at the beginning, I didn't know how to make a point or push back on bad ideas/designs. Then I decided that my job is to change things for better, so I am always going to feel somewhat out of place. And it works for me. In my view, being an engineer requires to be able to have a strong opinion and to be able to disagree with others, which some people are not capable of (men and women). <br /><br />I'd like to encourage more women to challenge preconceptions and do their best at changing the world, in whichever field they decide to be, including engineering, of course. Thanks for your article, it is truly enlightening.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-49311784185822746242012-10-23T12:56:51.884-07:002012-10-23T12:56:51.884-07:00Thanks for the encouragement Anthony. How about I ...Thanks for the encouragement Anthony. How about I just have a little rest and let you and some of the other boys pick up the slack for a while?<br />Sarah Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960103679011306410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-49959655835584058312012-10-23T11:13:23.412-07:002012-10-23T11:13:23.412-07:00You do not need to disengage. You need to know tha...You do not need to disengage. You need to know that it is not your responsibility it is all of ours. Shared.Anthony Finkelsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07234578498269328238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-65523710031224736952012-10-22T07:36:53.250-07:002012-10-22T07:36:53.250-07:00Too right! I actually think this is what a lot of ...Too right! I actually think this is what a lot of feminist and queer theory is trying to get to - living and thinking beyond gender. Unfortunately writing about it seems to require lots of complicated language, which is where we get lost. Most of the time I just get along with my own little life, which has never had much respect for gender roles. Thankfully the people I care most about seem to love me all the same. Sarah Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960103679011306410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-18875740851040498452012-10-22T07:30:53.588-07:002012-10-22T07:30:53.588-07:00Thanks Clementine. I agree that there is much in f...Thanks Clementine. I agree that there is much in feminist theory that is potentially useful, but it is really hard for many of us to access. Most discussions about women in engineering happen in a theoretical vacuum and go around and around in circles, based on personal anecdote, excel graphs and popular news articles. It would be really useful if more theorists could engage with these issues and the women they effect, to try to break through these apparently intractable problems. Sarah Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10960103679011306410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-2125260961242044802012-10-22T04:15:47.425-07:002012-10-22T04:15:47.425-07:00FWIW I think we need a lot more people just living...FWIW I think we need a lot more people just living in ways that violate outdated gender bollocks. Not that we don't need blogging or representation: but I would expect the movement to be pyramid shaped, with a few advocates on behalf of the majority of the affected; and there sure seem to be a lot of self-avowed feminists putting up with the things they hate while talking about them at length. (not you, of course).<br /><br />I'm not quite sure I have the right understanding of high feminism, as I am barely literate in social sciences, but it does seem odd that the language used to talk about exclusion is itself exclusionary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4545220008809947165.post-85070555300178522372012-10-22T01:13:12.718-07:002012-10-22T01:13:12.718-07:00Oh, what a wonderful post. Thank you so much for s...Oh, what a wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing this. It's extremely enlightening. But please do not dismiss 'high feminism' as you call it as I do think there are pedagogical ways of making people understand.Clémentine Beauvaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115567199751033932noreply@blogger.com