[mikelowry]

Gender stereotyping is the same as racial stereotyping, in that it will never disappear until we make it a non-factor.

Generally, women tend to be different than men. No one can dispute that. But individually, there is as much difference between members of the same sex as there is between members of opposite sexes. So much so, that the generality doesn't matter.

We dont need more women engineers. Saying that we do is just placing more emphasis on the generality that doesnt matter. We are making gender a factor when it shouldn't be. What we need is more engineers, wether they be women or men, or if they are black, white, asian, hispanic, or whatever, it doesn't matter.

Granted, there are cultural norms that dissuade women from becoming engineers, and anything that is stopping individual people, women OR men, from becoming what they want, whatever they want, needs to be stopped.