I work with men. A lot. Computer science has a stubborn and persistent gender imbalance issue, and it gets worse as you progress along the pipeline. I don't know the exact numbers, but at all points (undergrad, grad, various professorial levels) the mix is 10-20% women.
I got exposed to this first in high school, when I was the only girl to participate in a program that involved taking Physics and Chemistry in 10th grade, then a second year of each in 11th grade and finally a third year of Physics my senior year. I experienced it again as an undergrad, most notably in a junior-level electrical engineering class on signals and systems where I was the only female and the professor called on students by name, saying "Mr...." as he scanned the enrollment list to settle on a last name. When I started as an assistant professor at Georgia Tech in 1993, I was the third female faculty member out of perhaps 30-40 total, joining a full professor and another junior faculty member. My traditional research area is computer networking, a part of systems, which as a subfield is considered a bit macho and has worse gender ratios than some other parts of computer science.
I don't want to complain about this, though I do think the numbers are a serious problem. Instead I want to share what has been great about working with men. With a few exceptions, the men I have worked with are delightful. For those that I have worked with most closely, I imagine the relationship is somewhat like a brother and sister. I don't have a real world comparison, coming from a family of three girls. But we support and celebrate each other professionally, and I know I could count on them personally should the need arise. I also tend to think they have a different relationship with me than their male colleagues --- a little more personal, a little more kind, a little less competitive.
I also know how to work with men. This may sound a bit odd, but I've been thinking recently about how it is just a little bit different to collaborate with a female faculty member. (It's good, but different.) I need to learn how to do it, having had so little practice. I don't know if this will resonate with others, but with my male colleagues, I have a comfortable "place". If I want to lead, I know how to do it. With a few exceptions, I can turn up my assertiveness to be the dominant one in the conversation, should I want to. I don't have to think about our roles.
Long ago at one of the early Grace Hopper Celebrations of Women in Computing I heard Maria Klawe give a technical talk where she included some personal perspective. I distinctly recall that she said computer science was a good place to find a husband because the men in the field were (and here my memory is fuzzy) smart, self-assured and kind. I didn't find my husband in computer science, but I have found many treasured male colleagues. I hope we will figure out how to achieve a better gender balance in the field, but in the meantime, I have not suffered. Quite the contrary.
I got exposed to this first in high school, when I was the only girl to participate in a program that involved taking Physics and Chemistry in 10th grade, then a second year of each in 11th grade and finally a third year of Physics my senior year. I experienced it again as an undergrad, most notably in a junior-level electrical engineering class on signals and systems where I was the only female and the professor called on students by name, saying "Mr...." as he scanned the enrollment list to settle on a last name. When I started as an assistant professor at Georgia Tech in 1993, I was the third female faculty member out of perhaps 30-40 total, joining a full professor and another junior faculty member. My traditional research area is computer networking, a part of systems, which as a subfield is considered a bit macho and has worse gender ratios than some other parts of computer science.
I don't want to complain about this, though I do think the numbers are a serious problem. Instead I want to share what has been great about working with men. With a few exceptions, the men I have worked with are delightful. For those that I have worked with most closely, I imagine the relationship is somewhat like a brother and sister. I don't have a real world comparison, coming from a family of three girls. But we support and celebrate each other professionally, and I know I could count on them personally should the need arise. I also tend to think they have a different relationship with me than their male colleagues --- a little more personal, a little more kind, a little less competitive.
I also know how to work with men. This may sound a bit odd, but I've been thinking recently about how it is just a little bit different to collaborate with a female faculty member. (It's good, but different.) I need to learn how to do it, having had so little practice. I don't know if this will resonate with others, but with my male colleagues, I have a comfortable "place". If I want to lead, I know how to do it. With a few exceptions, I can turn up my assertiveness to be the dominant one in the conversation, should I want to. I don't have to think about our roles.
Long ago at one of the early Grace Hopper Celebrations of Women in Computing I heard Maria Klawe give a technical talk where she included some personal perspective. I distinctly recall that she said computer science was a good place to find a husband because the men in the field were (and here my memory is fuzzy) smart, self-assured and kind. I didn't find my husband in computer science, but I have found many treasured male colleagues. I hope we will figure out how to achieve a better gender balance in the field, but in the meantime, I have not suffered. Quite the contrary.
