Quote:
Originally Posted by robonerd
Many of the girls on the team have grown so sensitive to this issue that any time someone says something that can be looked at as sexist, we jump down his throat. There's a whole culture change that needs to occur to fix this.
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With issues like this, there's often a fine line between education and aggravation. Whether or not you are in the right on a matter, it's often better to pick your battles. You have to be careful to avoid breeding resentment towards your cause. If you call everyone out on each and every thing they do, the result is often the opposite of what you intended. It won't change the behavior, only ingrain it deeper.
You're absolutely right that the culture surrounding females in STEM fields (and in general) needs to be changed. But you can't be overly aggressive in attempting to change it. I'm not saying to let everything slide, but chose carefully how you handle situations.
There's a quote from the movie Lincoln that is relevant:
"A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it'll... it'll point you True North from where you're standing, but it's got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you'll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination, you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp... What's the use of knowing True North?"