By V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D.
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Everyone knows that computer programming is a heavily male-dominated field.
I think this is unfortunate. Over the years, I've come
to conclude that there is a great deal that women can contribute to
this field.
Why is computer programming regarded as a primarily masculine
discipline? I think that in part, it's because men have a reputation for
being more likely to tinker around with gadgets and gizmos. In part,
it's also because computer science is supposedly a very math-oriented
field, and men are supposedly more inclined toward mathematical
disciplines.
(Incidentally, I know that such generalizations would offend certain
people. I'd like to emphasize that this is not my intent at all, nor do I
wish to make excessively broad generalizations about either gender.
However, a multitude of psychological studies do claim that men
have—on the average—a greater aptitude for mathematics and
mechanics than women do, whereas women tend to perform better at
linguistics and communication. These tendencies coincide well with
my own observations, so for now, I'll assume that these studies are
reasonable descriptions of gender differences.)
Anyway, people often claim that men make better programmers
because they are more mathematically inclined. Personally, I
disagree. It is true that computer science is very much mathematical
in nature; however, computer programming often is not. It's true that
a software developer should understand basic concepts such as binary
computations, round-off error and Boolean logic; however, for most
programming tasks, there is little need for calculus, group theory or
other advanced mathematical topics. For this reason, I think that the
importance of a strong mathematical aptitude is largely overblown.
Indeed, I think that linguistic skill is decidedly more important. I'd say
that in years past, about 90% of the programmers that I encountered
produced sloppy code—software that is clumsily structured, poorly
documented and difficult to understand. I've also noticed a strong
correlation between linguistic skill and the ability to generate clean,
legible code. And why not? Computer languages are, after all, just
that—languages. It's thus reasonable to expect that someone with a
strong language aptitude will—on the average—produce cleaner, more
understandable code than someone whose language skills are
lackluster.
That is one reason why I wish more women would pursue a
programming career. If it is indeed true that women have better
language skills, then they are likely to perform well with computer
languages as well. Again, this jibes well with my own experiences. I
haven't known many female programmers, but most of the ones that I
do know have produced some rather outstanding work. (To be fair,
I've also known some lousy female programmers; however, these
individuals had little passion for their field, and only entered it for the
sake of a paycheck. That's a pretty good recipe for mediocrity,
regardless of one's gender.)
Breaking into this field may not be easy. I'm sure that many women
will have to combat the prejudiced notion that software development is
a man's field, and that female programmers are mere dilettantes.
Still, it is my earnest hope that more women will make their marks in
this arena. If they have the right passion for this field, and if they
understand their strengths, then I believe that they have much to
offer.
About the Author:
V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. is a senior electrical and software engineer at Cellular Technology Ltd (http://www.immunospot.com,
http://www.elispot-analyzers.de,
http://www.elispot.cn). He is proud
to serve in a team where the importance of clean, high-quality
programming is understood by all.
