[comp.society.women] Why fewer women are wizards

colsmith@att.att.com (07/12/88)

I learned most of my Unix knowledge from friends in the CS department.
Having spent time punching cards and using line editors I was fascinated 
with CRTs and screen editors and easy commands (I was used to a Univac.) 
I tried to soak up as much Unix knowledge as I could.  

The main systems people at school (all male) were somewhat interested in me 
and would help me, but it was mixed between "let me show you how to do this" 
and "let me do this for you."  One of them in particular liked to stand 
behind me with his arms around me typing things on my keyboard. :-)

A male acquaintance of mine was also trying to pick things up from these 
folks.  One time he told me that they had taken him into the computer room 
itself and shown him how to read in tapes and stuff.  I was hurt, having 
been at this longer than him and not yet knowing how to do that.  I asked
one of my best hacker friends why they didn't show me how to do that.  He
said they didn't want to teach me everything right away because then I
wouldn't come to them with questions anymore.

I was pleased that they liked me so much but disturbed that they would teach 
me more slowly to have me around them longer.  So anyway this is one theory 
why few women are computer wizards - male hackers don't tell them too much so 
they will still need the men for something!  Another possibility is that 
female hackers have so many interested men to go out with that they don't 
get so nerdy and devoted to computers.  They are having too much other fun.

Marcia Colsmith