eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya) (06/22/88)
Marla Parker makes some good points about women and the technical core. I believe we have a responsibility to encourage young women to seek technical career paths, then go into management. There is a current movement afoot to accelerate their placement into management positions. Unfortunately, the current flood of MBAs (and Lawyers to a lesser extent) who understand nothing about the products, sevices, and research their firms do is appalling (this is gender independent). Women must overcome the stigma of "math anxiety," stereotypes of science and technology, parents must encourage their daughters to get into these fields. This need goes beyond men and women to our nation's competitiveness and ways of life [did I just hear a fife?]. We need inventors, scientists, developers, engineers (none of these exclusive of the other). --eugene miya ,.
ps@ucsd.edu (06/23/88)
In article <11231@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya) writes: >Marla Parker makes some good points about women and the technical core. > >I believe we have a responsibility to encourage young women to >seek technical career paths, then go into management. ... >--eugene miya >,. I disagree strongly with this concept. Women are as varied in their aptitudes, likes and dislikes, as men. Encouraging young women to choose a particular career path, unless it happens to suit them as individuals, is irresponsible. I know a lot of people, both men and women, who could be fine managers but have no interest in any technical field. They will be happier and more successful if they follow non-technical management paths. I really enjoy programming and computer performance analysis. Even when I have been a project leader I have prefered the technical aspects of the job to the management aspects. Should I abandon a type of work I enjoy and can do well in order to become a manager just because I am a woman?
eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya) (06/25/88)
In article <11306@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> celerity!ps@ucsd.edu writes: >I disagree strongly with this concept. Women are as varied in their >aptitudes, likes and dislikes, as men. Encouraging young women to choose a >particular career path, I think I should clarify. The encouragement is to get more female technical people. Secondarily, they should be encouraged at least as much as men. Likes and dislikes are assumed generally the same. There are some feminists who believe that some women should be promoted on the basis of gender. This maybe okay for insurance companies, but in the age of technological competitiveness, this can be a mistake. Non-technical managers over technical people is my big worry. This is why I would encourage young women early. >Should I abandon a type of work I enjoy and can do well >in order to become a manager just because I am a woman? I'm not encouraging YOU to go into management. I'm climbing down the management ladder myself. --eugene