[OSGeo-Discuss] Gender bias in nominations

[María Arias de Reyna]

On Fri, Jul 25, 2014 at 9:16 AM, Barry Rowlingson <
b.rowlingson at lancaster.ac.uk> wrote:

> On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 11:57 PM, Jeff McKenna
> <jmckenna at gatewaygeomatics.com> wrote:
> > Thank you everyone for responding (María, Jo, Anne, Madi, Andrea, mpg,
> > Cameron, and Regina).  I agree that the OSGeo community is always
> > welcoming, and thank you for confirming that there is no issue with the
> > election/nomination process.  It is sometimes hard when I receive direct
> > messages with concerns and thank you for helping me handle it.
> >
>
>  With my statistician hat on here, I have to point out that this is
> what we call "a biased sample". Not that the individuals are biased
> themselves, but the group is necessarily going to be made up of, lets
> say, "satisfied customers".
>
>  For every Jo there may be a dozen Janes who tried to contribute to
> OSGeo, found it an unwelcoming place, and quietly left with no
> complaint or fuss. Complaining about bullying and harrassment can be
> very difficult, and especially in a voluntary group many will just get
> on with their real jobs, not seeing any great loss to themselves in
> not being part of it. This contrasts with harrassment/bullying at
> work, where there is greater necessity to speak out, and, one would
> hope, there are established complaints procedures and a helpful union
> to argue for you.
>

You can't avoid stupid people bullying candidates. That said, at least from
the Spanish side, I found no problem with being female in OsGeo. If there
are not many more females on this side it is just because there are no
candidates for it.


>
>  Personally I think the gender imbalance in tech springs from the day
> baby girls are first dressed in pink and given dolls and baby boys
> dressed in blue and given toy guns. I'm hopeful that society is
> getting better - although slowly. "Teach your children well" as Crosby
> Stills and Nash did sing...
>

Can't agree more.

You still can find (even young!) people that thinks it is not an education
but a biological difference. But at least my experience says otherwise.

I am not sure society is getting better. In the '80, Lego made ads for
girls using normal Lego toys:
http://testdb.msmagazine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Lego-ad.jpg
Now we have Lego princess:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=legos+princess&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Alegos+princess

But that is in our hands to change. In kids, not in OsGeo charter
nominations.

Forgive my ignorance but, has OsGeo some kind of program or plan to go to
schools? Because I am planning to go next year to Universities to give
talks and I would like to go also to schools, so it would be helpful if I
have some background here.


>
> Barry
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