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.
If you ever need some advise on working with men, I would consider myself an expert in that area....! Great post.
ReplyDeleteI agree - great post! I have experienced both types of gender imbalance at work and school (in some cases, men were in the majority, but I've also worked and gone to school in environments that were almost exclusively female). The dynamics are very different! I would like to experience working in a well balanced environment - I have not done this yet.
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