Thoughts on Meraz

In professor Meraz’s lecture, she talks about the declining number of females in the computer science field.  Although she has the data to back it up, and it is very obvious that she is correct, she failed to mention that there’s a lack of interest in the field as a whole.  It’s not just women that are losing interest in the field, but its men too.  The fact is people in general are losing interest in the field, as for a reason why, I couldn’t tell you.  If you look at the graph she presents showing the percentage of men and women in the field of computer science, it’s obvious that there was a spike in both 1982 and 1999, for both men and women.  But besides those two points, and the relative time in between, the interest in computer science really hasn’t been that high to begin with.  While I agree that computer science is a male dominated field, I think instead of trying to look at why females are losing interest in the field, I think they should look at why everyone is losing interest in it. 

                About 15 or so minutes in she mentions the game Diner Dash, and pokes at the idea of females in video games.  She states that most women in video games are stuck doing what some would consider womanish activities (such as cooking, multi-tasking, serving, etc..).  And while she is correct, that there a handful of games that fit her statement, there are just as many, if not more, that feature a prevalent, strong, and confident female character either as the lead or secondary.  I think the best example of this would be the Metroid series.  Samus Aran, the games protagonist, is a bounty hunter who is given missions to take down high profile targets.  She is a strong willed, confident, and brave character who is widely considered to be one of Nintendo’s pride and joy.  She’s not alone in this role either, there are quite a few other female characters that break the “damsel in distress “model that is generally reserved for them (I.E Lara Croft (Tomb Raider Series), Alyx Vance (Half Life Series), Chell (Portal Series)).  As a person who has had quite a bit of experience with video games, I understand that women aren’t always presented in the most appropriate ways.  That being said, I think it’s a bit outrageous to assume that all women in all video games are misrepresented. 

                The latter half of her lecture focuses more on the blogging and how women are associated with it.  There seems to be a rather large argument between male bloggers and female bloggers about who really has it harder in the blogosphere.  Many women feel that it is almost impossible for them to be taken seriously in the blogosphere because anything intelligent or thoughtful they write is ignored, but the instant they post a suggestive photo of themselves, they become popular almost instantly.  Men, on the other hand, feel that it’s unfair that a woman can gain such popularity so quickly with just the act of posting suggestive pictures.  As a man myself, I can certainly see why men are getting so upset about this. I think anyone would be upset if something they put a lot of time and effort into was upstaged by someone posting racy pictures of themselves online.  That being said, I do feel that women have an uphill battle in the blogosphere because of the amount of males on the internet.  Women certainly are the minority, so I can understand why they would use what they have to offer to gain popularity.  I don’t think it’s the right way to do it, but until things change, it may be the most effective way.