Raising more Linux women by using epigenetics

[Jelle]

You all probably heard about Mark Shuttleworth making some sexist remark, but I won't talk about that, however, it did make me think. How can we make more women interested in Linux?

I saw this video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBqfqcm_BCU , and it describes how we can transform our daughters into real geeks if we use epigenetics the right way.

It made me realize that if we're willing to take the long-haul on this one we can raise are daughters to be more interested in math and technology and of course Linux! I'm a student math teacher and I always thought that girls aren't as good as boys when it comes to math, but I've been proven wrong. So now I'm trying to raise my daughter so she knows that she can be as competent in technology, science and math as boys . She's still a bit young for all that, but she does like Tux (in fact it was one of the first words she said :- ), and sees me working in Linux daily.

So, if we all 'team up' and make lots of girls and realize they have as big a chance to become a geek as boys we might have a shot at 'outbreeding' the competition.

* Changed 'breeding' in the title into 'raising', which sounds a bit less like I'm some kind of opensource nazi, which I'm not ofcourse *

[eddie]

Did not Adolph try something like that? I applaud women who take up technical (as well as any other) careers, but not everyone is meant to do it no matter how much you push it, I have spent too much time doing tech support with the common sense challenged people.

[Jelle]

Did not Adolph try something like that? I applaud women who take up technical (as well as any other) careers, but not everyone is meant to do it no matter how much you push it, I have spent too much time doing tech support with the common sense challenged people.

I didn't mean it in such a 'boys from brazil' way . Nobody should be pushed to do anything, but I do think it's mostly boys who get to sit down and hear someone talk about Floss and Linux in particular. If a girl never hears about it, because many people assume linux is 'just for boys' they will never find out whether they actually like it.

[eddie]

Ibm and Ubuntu jointly are allegedly suppose to come out with commercials for linux in the us early next year according to the media. I would love to see those ads sooner.

[dann]

In a non-academic environment forcing something may have ill effects (even in an academic environment that may be the case). Interest by exposure is a great idea and being there to capture that moment of interest is paramount.

Living with pre-conceived notions has the opportunity for one to direct those closest to him or her towards those notions. Expecting girls to not be as good as boys at math will help contribute to that misconception in those around you. Casting asides those notions and living as an open book allows for opportunity to spring up naturally. Be there to capture that opportunity and make the best of it. It's not just the destination but how one gets there that is equally important. Enjoy the ride most of all. It may not end up where you would like it too, but it will most definetly end up where it should be.

My girls excell at math and science consistently. They may not do as well in spelling, handwriting, or grammar. That is not to say they are not doing well there, but their math skills seem to be better. Quite the opposite of my wife, which is interesting.

[eddie]

In my family, it is the women who have the brains. I know my daughter has everything from her mother. I do agree you should at least try to expose children to as much knowledge as you can without it being a mandatory thing. Even college students will gravitate towards whet interests them most. You just have to lure them to it like the aroma of a good steak. Give them a reason to be hungry. Old marketing proverb "Sell the sizzle. not the steak!"

[Jelle]

My girls excell at math and science consistently. They may not do as well in spelling, handwriting, or grammar. That is not to say they are not doing well there, but their math skills seem to be better. Quite the opposite of my wife, which is interesting.

Yeah, it's really interesting how such things can develop. My parents are both totally not-geeky and aren't interested in technology/science, but I turned out to be quite the geek. Let's see how my daughter turns out. Both me and my wife are geeks, so we'll see

Old marketing proverb "Sell the sizzle. not the steak!"

Nice, I'll try to remember that one.