Sunday, January 14, 2007

A Man's World?

I never much liked this statement, mostly because I am not fully certain what it means. What is a man's world?
When I announced to my boss (at school) that I am a computer science major, he told me that I was going into a male dominated field (okay, for any of you who know my boss, this is not how he said it, but it is the equivalent). He might have told me I wasn't going to get a job because only men work in computer science. I told him that if that happened I would return to Dartmouth to get a job in construction with him. Much more feminine. . .
Sure enough, my computer science classes have usually had a ratio of 3 women to about 20 men. In a college that is 50% women, I have to wonder where they all went. Are they all taking Women and Gender Studies courses? Impossible!
This Saturday, Steve asked for volunteers at ASIFA-Hollywood. While chatting to one of them, he mentioned that his girlfriend is an animator in Mexico. In fact, she is the first female computer animator in Mexico. The company didn't want to hire her at first because they do not hire women, But her stuff was good, so they did in the end (I haven't checked my facts on any of this by the way so. . . yeah, sorry if your cousin was actually the first female Mexican animator). However, I personally can't even imagine being the first woman to do anything anymore, except for being president. I think it would be frightening, yet somehow exciting at the same time.
Most computer science majors are men. Many animators are men. (The only woman I have met so far through my internship happened to be the girlfriend of one of the men). Most people in construction are men. Although, I must admit, most student employees in the scene shop are inexplicably women. . .
Now I find that I am uncertain how to end this post. I have written myself into a literary corner and left no windows or escapes, save for the gaping feminist hole to my left. I fear that this is the out I must now take. So, at the risk of sound terribly feminist (something I tend not to do), I have to conclude that there is no such thing as a man's world. I defy you to find one. I will graduate a computer science major modified with animation from the last ivy-league to admit women and I will get my dream job (just probably not in Mexico).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.earlygirl.com/youare.shtml

Read it. Live it.

pogo said...

Another "Man's World": Aerospace Engineering. I just received this email from HR at a company I've applied to:

"Dear Mr Wade

Thank you for your enquiry... (Apparently you spell inquiry with an e in the UK)
...if you do not hear back from us in 4-6 weeks you have been not been successful on this occasion..."

Talk about automated response, can't even specify what my "enquiry" or the "occasion" was, let alone change the Mr to Miss (I'll even accept Mrs.) Apparently women don't work in aerospace in the UK.