Girls on FIRST teams

[John Gutmann]

I just wanna throw this out there. But who is it that decides that the ngineering world is a world for the boys? If you think about it, the majority is parents. How many of you girls had parents who bought you a tool set when you were 5? had fathers who let you help on projects around the house? Now how many of you had parents who bought you barbies and dresses?

I am not saying that girls shouldn't have dresses but if you look at it, it is how people are brought up. Who is to say boys and girls think differently? Boys and girls have different natural instincts, which well obviously I guess would make them think differently, but they have different problem solving skills becuase that is how they are brought up. What girls had parents who emphasized math science,and shop class? Now what guys had parents who emphasized having nice clothes and looking pretty?

I think that in 50 years there will be many many more girls in the fields becuase of our generation. We are all learning that girls should have the smae chance as guys, so when we have children we won't be as seperative of their fields of interest.

My 2 cents....
-John

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by sparksandtabs

I am not saying that girls shouldn't have dresses but if you look at it, it is how people are brought up. Who is to say boys and girls think differently? Boys and girls have different natural instincts, which well obviously I guess would make them think differently, but they have different problem solving skills becuase that is how they are brought up.

This is an ongoing debate....and probably off topic here...but when psychologists study the nature/nurture issue scientifically, the findings tend to show that there is a lot of built in behavior--the genetic differences are substantial. But they also show that there is an environmental effect--how you are brought up will affect later behavior.

So don't be surprised that most girls are not naturally inclined to do "boy stuff" like building robots....but also do what you can to encourage and help those that you can get interested in it! because they definitely can do technology. Ask my wife

[Zyik]

My team has always had a small number of girls. This year we had 3, out of an 11 person team. We don't have any discrimination, we all hang out together, prank each other, etc. You don't "let them do a project all by themselves" because we all work on the same project. Guess 973 is lucky this way.

[laurenlacy]

As a female on a FIRST team I must say my experience has been nothing but wonderful... because I made it that way.

FIRST, as I've seen it, has so many wonderful opportunities for young women. The problem is that they don't always want to reach for those opportunities. I will say that FIRST is maybe a place where the girls may face a greater challenge, but those sorts of challenges appear for everyone in different ways, and all that one can do is to try and overcome them.

I honestly came onto my robotics team for the business aspect, and would argue that you DON'T need to come on knowing what you're doing. I had no idea what a phillips head screwdriver was. I was there to make pretty fliers, and I still LOVE doing that. I also love that there are times when I come home and my mom is just like "don't you dare come into the house until I get everything covered because you are filthy." But I was there to learn, and I learned fast and I paid attention, and this year I was one of the core group of students who built our robot. Just like anyone, young man or woman new to the team, I had to not be afraid to ask questions. And yes, there were times when I looked ridiculous not knowing what something was, but that wasn't anything to do with me having ovaries or whatnot, it was just simply as a person who didn't know what they were doing.

Basically, I think the FIRST experience for young women is what you make of it. Yes, there will be guys who decide they have to supervise closely and then take over everything you do, but there are all sorts of girls who think that guys can't do certain things well, and that's the way our society will probably be for quite some time. My experience in FIRST has been nothing short of amazing, and I'm really excited to continue with it for the rest of my life.