i do believe a lot of what i experience is a result of 'society in transition'. and it is weird when the worst comments come from other women. i mean, i've long ago accepted most chicks weren't like me on the child-front, and that's a good thing.
i've never been child-oriented or wanted children. if the majority of women were like me, we'd have the incredible shrinking race.
but i think it makes people... take that step back, like when they're confronted with a gorilla, or someone who'd got a disfiguring disease. when you're confronted with a complete unknown, especially when you've already made assumptions based on what you *think* you know, it's hard to figure out what to do next. a lot of people don't like feeling discombobulated, and react in anger or fear. they might later sit down and rethink, but that first reaction is the one that gets 'heard'.
we're changing a lot of things as a society that were settled for a long, long time, per feudal European standards, and we're doing it pretty quickly. it's being helped - or not, depending on your viewpoint - along with technology. it's bound to get feathers ruffled and cause people sturm und drang.
i'm not really surprised at *where* it's happening - the US has a very solid set of 'traditional roles' for men and women, and women engineers are not 'traditional' in our popular culture. engineers in general don't get portrayed a lot on tv and movies, so it's not something people think about a whole lot, or have a chance to get used to, like women doctors vis a vis ER and Chicago Hope and stuff.
i am kind of surprised that most male *engineers* don't have a problem with female engineers. they may be socially awkward, but i've never run across male engineers commenting on female engineering skills because of *gender*. i'm happy i don't have to deal with that, all things considered. surprised, but happy.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2014-06-08 07:20 pm (UTC)i've never been child-oriented or wanted children. if the majority of women were like me, we'd have the incredible shrinking race.
but i think it makes people... take that step back, like when they're confronted with a gorilla, or someone who'd got a disfiguring disease. when you're confronted with a complete unknown, especially when you've already made assumptions based on what you *think* you know, it's hard to figure out what to do next. a lot of people don't like feeling discombobulated, and react in anger or fear. they might later sit down and rethink, but that first reaction is the one that gets 'heard'.
we're changing a lot of things as a society that were settled for a long, long time, per feudal European standards, and we're doing it pretty quickly. it's being helped - or not, depending on your viewpoint - along with technology. it's bound to get feathers ruffled and cause people sturm und drang.
i'm not really surprised at *where* it's happening - the US has a very solid set of 'traditional roles' for men and women, and women engineers are not 'traditional' in our popular culture. engineers in general don't get portrayed a lot on tv and movies, so it's not something people think about a whole lot, or have a chance to get used to, like women doctors vis a vis ER and Chicago Hope and stuff.
i am kind of surprised that most male *engineers* don't have a problem with female engineers. they may be socially awkward, but i've never run across male engineers commenting on female engineering skills because of *gender*. i'm happy i don't have to deal with that, all things considered. surprised, but happy.
-boogieshoes