On Nov 24, 2006, at 9:50 AM, Sean Barrett wrote:
So does anyone have any practical ideas to fix these "problems," or should we just sit around wailing about how horrible it is that the sexes are different?
As I said earlier, women obviously are doing something else which they find more worthwhile. We should continue to have a welcoming attitude, which I maintain we have as is shown by our enthusiasm in advancing women to leadership positions. We should be on the lookout for bias or other bad behavior towards women editors and do what we can to mitigate its effects. I don't think women have significantly less on-line access or that there is any significant technical barrier to participation. Anyone is free to edit. I think this conversation began by inquiring about the number of women candidates for arbcom. Given our welcoming attitude most women who had edited for at least a while would probably be elected, but if you are working hard on your career or other absorbing activities you might not volunteer.
Fred