[SkyMarshal]

One of the best comments on this topic I've seen was by a girl at Stuyvesant on learning computer science:

"Before taking the mandated Intro class last year, when I heard 'computer science,' I pictured nerdy boys, who turned into nerdy bearded men, slouched over huge computers and click-clacking out codes that meant nothing to me. There’s nothing wrong with nerdy boys, comp sci just didn’t seem like something I would ever be interested in.

"This image was quickly shattered in that first intro class. Computer science started to resonate with me when I worked on my first project, creating a simple animation of a string quartet using Netlogo. It was while I was working on this that I realized comp sci isn’t about nerdy boys sitting at computers and coding out nonsense that turns into violent video games and complicated math problem solvers. No, comp sci isn’t this at all. Comp sci, as I have found in my classes at Stuy, is a medium for expression, a place for creation and creativity."

http://betabeat.com/2012/06/real-tales-of-learning-computer-...

This is both true, and probably effective for changing women's perception of the field and attracting more to it.

[cousin_it]

Wow. Now I wonder why it took me so long to see this answer, it's so obvious in retrospect. Of course women don't go into CS in large part because they consider male nerds unattractive. Though male sexism is an important reason, I always suspected that it's not the main reason.

This explanation sounds offensive, but to me it's quite uplifting. Instead of giving women gifts to compensate for our "creepiness", we need to become non-creepy, and women will come. It's a winning proposition for everyone, no?

[WalterSear]

You aren't creepy. This particular issue is reverse sexism. But heaven forbid it should ever be seriously discussed while there are all those 'neckbeards' out there to point fingers at.

[cousin_it]

Hmm, it doesn't seem to be prejudice against all men, but negative stereotyping of male nerds in particular. Many men are guilty of it too, unfortunately. Even many of those who try to get more women into CS.

[SkyMarshal]

I think you guys are missing the point. She's just a high school girl talking about 'boys' the way high school girls do.

What I'd hope people key in on is that computer science is a medium of expression, creation, and creativity. I don't think anyone here would disagree with that, but it's apparently not so obvious to everyone, and worth driving that point home when selling the field, particularly to women who may value that aspect of a career as much or more than men.

[cousin_it]

> I don't think anyone here would disagree with that

Why, I disagree. In the majority of programming jobs that exist in the world, any attempt at creative expression will be shot down.

In fact, if the feel-good stories are true and women are indeed better than men at communication and creativity, that might be already sufficient to explain why there are so few of them in programming jobs, writing Java beans to automate payrolls and such. If you had such strengths, would you want such a job?

[rdouble]

When I lived in NYC two years ago, nerdy bearded men were in vogue. And everyone in every demographic was slouched in front of a computer for a large portion of the day.