I just was forwarded this old post: DaveNet : Gender balance in high tech featuring this sterling quote: “Men are the artists of our species, women are the infrastructure.”
I was sent it because I was complaining to some pals that web word’s interviews were reaching a new level of gender imbalance this year with 0 women interviewed. Some people would look at that and assume, as Dave seems to, that women just aren’t any good at these things. Not true: women are culturally trained to assume positions of deference. Self promotion tends to be our worst skill– it’s unladylike. I’m lucky to have been raised by cantankerous feminist parents; few can rival me for boisterousness.
So what do we do? How do we tip the scales? Raise consciousness? I know in the wake of the WTC this may seem to many a small issues, but honestly I want to believe I have a country worth fighting for. The taliban forbid their women education, property, to leave the house: don’t we want to claim we are better than that?
I’m thinking of a kind of “surf the chicks” day… maybe we can create a list of great sites run/designed by women, and come up with female alternative web icons to zeldman and glassdog — both of who are sweet guys and chick-friendly. I’m not slamming those guys. just looking for heroines…
thoughts?