Why more women should consider a career in computer programming
Everyone knows that computer programming is a field heavily dominated by men. I think this is unfortunate. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that women can contribute a lot in this field.
Why is computer programming considered to be a primarily male discipline? I think part of it is because men have a reputation for being more likely to play with gadgets and gadgets. In part, it’s also because computer science is supposedly a very math-oriented field, and men are supposedly more inclined towards mathematical disciplines.
(Incidentally, I know that such generalizations would offend some people. I would like to emphasize that this is not my intention at all, nor do I wish to make overly broad generalizations about either gender. However, a multitude of psychological studies claim that Males have, on average, a higher aptitude for mathematics and mechanics than females, while females tend to perform better in linguistics and communication.These trends agree well with my own observations, so for now I will assume that these studies are reasonable descriptions of gender differences).
Anyway, people often claim that men are better programmers because they are more mathematically inclined. Personally, I disagree. It is true that computer science is very mathematical in nature; however, computer programming often is not. It is true that a software developer must understand basic concepts such as binary calculations, rounding error, and Boolean logic; however, for most programming tasks, there is little need for calculus, group theory, or other advanced mathematical topics. For this reason, I think the importance of strong mathematical aptitude is greatly exaggerated.
In fact, I think language ability is decidedly more important. I’d say that in years past, about 90% of the programmers I’ve come across produced software from sloppy code that is awkwardly structured, poorly documented, and difficult to understand. I have also noticed a strong correlation between linguistic ability and the ability to generate clean, readable code. And why not? Computer languages are, after all, just that: languages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect someone with a strong linguistic aptitude to produce, on average, cleaner and more understandable code than someone whose linguistic abilities are mediocre.
That’s one of the reasons I want more women to pursue programming careers. If it is true that women have better language skills, it is likely that they do well with computer languages as well. Again, this fits well with my own experiences. I haven’t met many female programmers, but most of the ones I know have produced some pretty outstanding work. (To be fair, I’ve also met some lousy programmers, however, these people had little passion for their field and only got in for the sake of a paycheck. That’s a pretty good recipe for mediocrity, regardless of the genre of one. )
Breaking into this field may not be easy. I’m sure many women will have to combat the prejudiced notion that software development is a man’s field and that female programmers are mere dilettantes. Still, it is my sincere hope that more women will make their mark in this field. If you have the right passion for this field and if you understand its strengths, then I think you have a lot to offer.