Women in Engineering. 61

[Compositepro]

I'm not a woman, and this topic is not of great interest to me, but this blog was quite interesting:

http://www.ecnmag.com/blogs/2015/06...asses?et_cid=4617690&et_rid=45570172&type=cta

 

[JohnRBaker]

I agree. The slogan to "Make America Great Again" is code for exactly what you're talking about. It's like the chain-emails I get a couple times a year showing pictures of 'America' from the 50's and early 60's usually with some sort of nostalgic theme or sometimes even musical accompaniment, suggesting how great things were back then with pictures of school dances, people picnicking, going to drive-in shows or simply images of families sitting around the dining room table or watching an early TV show or listening to the radio. Of course, the people in these pictures are always white and most of the kids are blond, dad is smoking a pipe while reading the newspaper and mom is wearing an apron and washing the dishes. For a large number of Americans, this was a total fantasy and for them, going back would be to once again disappear into the shadows of society.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[IRstuff]

Those were also the times when ALL of the minorities, racial, gender, etc., "knew" their place.

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[JohnRBaker]

My point exactly!!!! And there are some who would like them to go back to "their place".

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[cranky108]

Maybe we are seeing an issue that is not there. After all we all want to be with people "like ourselves". The issue is we change our perception of "like ourselves" over time, hours, days, weeks.

I have found that people "like me" have changed at times from Engineers, to males, to political like me types, to people I know, to people who don't smell.

So is it an issue, or not? What exactly is "like me"?

 

[JohnRBaker]

I would love to respond to that, but if I did, at least in the manner and detail that I would like to, the last few posts would get 'Red Flagged' (I'm surprised that they haven't already). Perhaps we should take this thread to the 'Pub' ;-)

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[lacajun]

My point in posting the article about Clinton was not to introduce politics but to demonstrate that women everywhere have to work much harder than men to achieve their dreams.

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC

 

[IRstuff]

As do blacks. The converse is that Asians are expected to be high performers, so the stress is in trying to live up to possible unrealistic expectations.
Stereotypes are extremely tough to get rid of.

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[hokie66]

And stereotypes themselves are not invariable. My expectation of Asians differs from your example of a stereotype.

 

[moltenmetal]

It's even more challenging than some might think. People forget that stereotypes serve a need- they aren't just unfounded historical biases that we can shed by merely being aware of them. They're a coping mechanism which help people deal with living in a society which is so heterogeneous that it overwhelms them. Don't get me wrong- I think that understanding how bias works is critically important. Education is important- people need to understand how this works, and what harms can result from it. Socialization is important- it's easy to fear what you don't know or have no experience with, and experience with a diversity of others from a young age (i.e. in PUBLIC schools) is also critically important. But frankly I don't see how you can ever eliminate the need for people to "typify" others based on normative tendencies of groups, unless you expect us all to start living in villages with no more than about 100 inhabitants- and even then you'll still have people typified based on family association etc.

 

[cranky108]

Stereotypes also help us fill in the gaps about a person that we just met. Good or bad.

Like trust, you must show you are different from the stereotype. The way you appear, dress, etc. also has an influence on what people think.

 

[TheTick]

Stereotypes can be useful in helping to gage someone else's life experience.
[ul]
[li]Nearly every American black man has been pulled over for "DWB".[/li]
[li]Nearly every American Hispanic has had his/her citizenship or immigration status questioned.[/li]
[li]Nearly every woman has been talked down to or mistreated simply for being a woman.[/li]
[/ul]

I'm a white male. I barely blink when I drive by a cop. No one questions my citizenship (even though I'm one of those "anchor babies" and a beneficiary of the 14th Amendment). Employers don't worry about my child-bearing status.

 

[cranky108]

If you want to see stereotypes in action, just walk into any car showroom, or some furniture stores. The salesperson will automatically assume you don't know anything.
Even after you ask a technical question, you will still get some fluff answer.

 

[urgross]

Nearly everyone in West Virginia has been accused of meeting their spouse at a family reunion.

 

[moltenmetal]

Nearly every man has had assumptions made about them too that are inaccurate. Some men even notice when this happens!

 

[metman]

I fail to see the relevance of evolution in this discussion.

Can anyone give me one example of anything man made or natural that does not have an intelligent design?

And where does intelligence fit in with evolution?

ok it is off topic but I did not start it.

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability, and maintainability

 

[hokie66]

If you didn't start it, who did? I thought I had followed the thread, but evolution is not the subject.

 

[cranky108]

Maybe the thread evolved?

One fact that many people can't get over is that we evolved or were designed to survive. And that means different things for people in different geographic locations, and it means men and women are a little different.

That has nothing to do with having a equal chance (for what humans can do)to achieve one's goals.

But we must also understand that not everyone who wants to be an engineer, can become a good engineer. Some have to become managers.

 

[TheTick]

Intelligent Design is just scientific slothfulness. Unseen cause here, misunderstood effect there, blah-blah-blah-MAGIC! ...Aaaand here we are.

 

[IRstuff]

There are 13 hits for "evolu" on this page.

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[SLTA]

For me, it comes down to this:

Don't tell me I can't do something simply because of my gender. Why shouldn't I try first, and then realize on my own that I can or cannot?

Please remember: we're not all guys!