I have to disagree with you Sherry – the whole point of a personal blog is that it’s a place where the owner / author can post whatever they want to. This blog does not represent the thoughts of any organizations, only the thoughts of the author. Whether the opinion pieces come from gut feel or thorough research, it is the right of the author to publish them. Just because you disagree with the author’s opinion, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be published.

As for evidence that reporting discrimination against women deters them from entering IT – that’s just common sense. If you were to research travel to Syria at the moment, do you think you’d be encouraged to visit by what you read online? The article wasn’t suggesting that we should stop reporting on discrimination. Instead, it suggested that also reporting on companies that treat women (and men) really well might go a long way to helping curb the idea that the IT industry is one big frat house that women should stay away from. As a female developer myself, I can tell you firsthand that it’s really not all doom and gloom.

And why should we be praising companies for things they should be doing? Well when a company (or a person for that matter) gets positive reinforcement for something they are doing, they are encouraged to keep doing it. Not only that, if it brings them positive publicity, others may be encouraged to follow the trend. Why do you think companies like Microsoft boast about their Women in IT. In fact, Gina Trapani just wrote a great article on CNN that highlights just how important it is for companies that treat women and men in IT as equals to be known for it – “… companies that assemble inclusive teams are more likely to snag great hires of all stripes.”. How are we ever supposed to hear about these great companies that are getting it right if we don’t ever report on them as well?

Whilst our standpoints clearly differ, no doubt based on our very different experiences, we are at least both looking for the same end goal .. there’s more than one way to skin a cat right?

In any event, I don’t get that much traffic on this blog and its nice to see someone taking the time to read what I have to say and to share their thoughts. Thanks for taking the time.

2-”the musings in the above post are opinion not fact”- I hear that from people online all the time. Look, if you write a post, push it to the world and offer a comment box in your blog, then chances are, you are looking for discussion and a healthy debate. To have a healthy debate you need to present a valid opinion that has been formulated based on facts. Valid opinions don’t form in a vacuum, there has to be a basis for them other than a gut feeling. If you don’t want to spend the time to gather data and do research to formulate your opinions, then don’t expect not to be challenged by people like me. Musings based on opinions formulated out of gut feelings don’t belong to a public blog post, rather it should be saved for discussions with your developer buddies over beer.

Look, you may have good intentions, but blog posts like yours not only don’t help fight discrimination, it takes away from the urgency of the problem. Don’t ask for balance in the fight against discrimination, cause there is none.

I don’t have any statistics … the musings in the above post are opinion not fact. I am also in no way suggesting that companies that discriminate against women should not have their actions ‘announced loudly’ … indeed this needs to be done.

I am, however, saying that there’s a lot of negativity on the internet around women in IT and that, to my mind, could discourage women looking to get into the industry. I don’t think its that much of a stretch to think that someone reading all the negativity might be turned off by it. All I am suggesting is a little balance may give a little hope to those less determined than yourself

1) What is the evidence that reporting discrimination against women deters them from entering IT? There are many factors in play.

2) Why should we be praising companies for things they should be doing? It’s like giving a driver a prize for not passing the red right!

You article is also full of “must” and “might” references, and would be much force full if you presented some real statistics.

I know you mean well, but discrimination against women should be announced loudly. Don’t worry, we won’t be deterred but become more determined.

There’s a simple solution to your bike dilemma … buy another one!

btw… nice video I am jealous!!