A bit of background: Those aren't grand daughters of the Clampetts
in the picture at right. Those are my three daughters and three
stepdaughters, all of whom I want to inherit the world - as little or as
much as they want to take hold of. (I already talked a bit about this
in a post on my personal, family blog.
Be warned, it's all boring family photos and such). Enabling them to
have all of the choices and opportunities that are open to my son is a
big motivating factor in my life. So many years ago, when several PASS
volunteers wanted to start doing more to build a community of support
for women in technology, I was an ardent supporter. And as president of
PASS, I was able to do a tiny bit to help move WIT forward. Now, as I
travel around speaking at various other conferences and events, I always
try to sit in on the Women in Technology (WIT) sessions when I can.
A
while back at a SQL Saturday in Indianapolis, I was enjoying the WIT
panel discussion listening to the panelists discuss their upbringing
and how they became a success in the field of technology. Their stories
were, in some ways, similar. They were smart. They weren't scared of
math. They had an important mentor who supported them and encouraged
them that they could accomplish any goal. They endured struggles such
as financial hardship that, while difficult to overcome, also refined
their desire to become successful in their careers. Some of the women
who had to deal with men of the previous generation even had to overcome
blatant chauvinism.
But then another similarity among the panelists, just a hunch
really, struck me. I had to ask, to confirm my idea. "How many of you
were a bit of loner or at least weren't heavily influenced by your
friends' opinions before your professional career? Because with my own
daughters, it's their friends who they want to please. And they'd punt
right away if their friends teased them about being good at math, or
choosing a technical career, or anything else I can think of for that
matter."
It was pretty much unanimous. All of the panelists were
loners or had a very small social circle during their formative years.
Now perhaps I'm speaking from an inaccurate assumption, but most of my
daughters are tight with their friends. And friends mean a lot to them,
perhaps more than any other aspect of their social lives (like their
family). So if their friends tell them that being interested in
technology will "geekify" them, then they'd drop it like a hot potato.
So
I wanted to put this question out to my female friends in the IT
world. Were you in a big circle of friends during your developing
years? What importance did you place on their opinions? Did they give
you any flack for going in to IT or doing well in technology related
classes?
It seems like the days of overt chauvinism are behind us
here in the US. But I wonder if we need to start earlier with our
daughters among their own peer groups to support them for a future in technology.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
-Kev
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