From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FREEMAIL_FROM autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII X-Google-Thread: 103376,9ef0b1ff7be6dd43 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-04-26 16:41:55 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!freenix!proxad.net!proxad.net!213.253.16.105.MISMATCH!mephistopheles.news.clara.net!newspeer.clara.net!news.clara.net!iapetus.uk.clara.net Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 00:41:45 +0100 From: Robin KAY Organization: www.gekkou.co.uk User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; SunOS sun4u; en-US; rv:1.3) Gecko/20030329 X-Accept-Language: en, ja MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Effect of Gender in Learning Ada - OT References: <1b585154.0304260737.154758a4@posting.google.com> In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Complaints-To: abuse@clara.net (please include full headers) X-Trace: bc49775a0c40480cd30024b017d96f626644703085279a00506870603eab1939 NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 00:41:45 +0100 Message-ID: <1051400505.19347.0@iapetus.uk.clara.net> Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:36623 Date: 2003-04-27T00:41:45+01:00 List-Id: Frode Tenneb� wrote: > On Saturday 26 April 2003 17:37 Peter Richtmyer wrote: > >> PS - I don't care if there are more or less of a gender in SW unless: >> -- it is costing me money >> -- there is something illegal or immoral going on >> >> And I do not want my tax money spent trying to get "even parity" >> in programming > [snip] > You would if it meant a greater probability of safer software being > installed in the planes you fly or the subways you take, wouldn't you? But it doesn't mean that at all, rather the opposite. People should be hired purely based on their ability to do the job. When you start to push for numerical parity among the sexes (, races, etc.) for it's own sake you undermine that goal. Fighting illegal/immoral discrimination is one thing, but there's a very fine line between that and say, throwing out your top applicant because you need meet your quota on red haired (^_^) employees. Quotas are a form of discrimination in themselves - a legal one perhaps, but dubiously moral and nothing that will make the software in planes or underground trains any safer. -- Wishing you good fortune, --Robin Kay-- (komadori)