Well, I'd have to say that for the IT field, Tina's observations were pretty
much in line with the field norm, not just historical remnants. Just a year ago
I went over several good salary surveys of the IT field, and then reviewed
things again this last spring (due to the collapse of the Asian economy and it's
local consequences, but I digress). Most seemed to agree, and what I had found
most interesting is that in a breakdown by education and sex, it turns out that
education level had very little bearing on a male's salary, with male Ph.D.
holders actually making less than those with a MS, but for females it was very
significant. There was a direct correlation between a female's education level
and her salary. Also, only with a Ph.D. did a female's salary (on the average)
catch up with and pass the males.

Also, just the other week 6 women filed suit because of gender bias that had
been continuing for the last 20 years. In light of the state of the salaries,
this can shed a little light on women being underrepresented as POV-Ray users,
since I believe that the pool of potential POV-Ray users is mainly drawn from
the pool of current computers users.

Phew. Bit of a lot to type. Anyway, I was thinking that it was pertinent to the
topic.

Jim Kress wrote:

> Sorry to disagree, but the statements by Tina are consistent with the
> current day feminists who refuse to acknowledge that earlier, historical
> concerns about women in the technical workforce have been addressed and are
> no longer significant.  After all, if they allowed that the problem was
> resolved (or well on its way to being resolved), they'd have to find
> something else to complain about or another, new 'societal travesty' to
> stimulate funding for their advocacy groups (and by extension, their
> employment).
>
> Also, with respect to experience, I have worked in a variety of companies
> (Ford, TRW, IBM, and a host of smaller companies) in a variety of positions
> (from simple scientist and engineer to VP of Engineering, Director of
> Technology Development, to simple Information Technology Consultant) in
> locations spanning the globe from Japan to the US to Europe.  In these
> capacities, I have worked with dozens of other companies to help develop and
> enhance their technology and technical abilities to design, develop, and
> manufacture world class computer based systems (and components).  I think
> that breadth and depth of experience provides some unique and encompassing
> insight into these concerns.  Insight that can't be swept away with a single
> discarding sentence.
>

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