Prejudice lurks in dark corners

By Abhijit Menon-Sen <>

In "Women in computing: first, get the problem right", ESR explains that everyone else just misunderstood the problems that keep women away from computing and other technical fields; and that although achieving equality is precluded by the difference in dispersion of the IQ curves, his insights can help to establish the large, happy female minority that is the best we can hope for in its stead.

Talking about prejudice in this context is lazy, stupid, [and] wrong, and the real reason women bail out of computing is that they have short fertile periods, and their biological instincts tell them not to waste time on the warrior-ethic ways of programming.

By these and other bold observations, ESR demonstrates the honesty and willingness to speak uncomfortable truths that are prerequisite to addressing the problem. For example:

I don't mean to deny that there is still prejudice against women lurking in dark corners of the field.

Prejudice. Lurking in dark corners. Who would have thought it?

I'll file this article away right next to his equally-insightful “Sex tips for geeks”.