This is a mine-field, and personally I think you can't win, you can't break even, and you have to play the game.
In my experience women programmers are treated very well. However, there's a school of thought that being treated well is being treated differently, and that's what some find so off-putting.
I've seen a woman programmer turn up at a meeting and have someone bustle over and say "Gosh, hi, welcome! Nice to see you!" In contrast, everyone else is given a generic "Hi!" and then ignored until they join in. It's that different treatment that can irritate.
Something I've heard is "Why can't I just be treated like everyone else?"
Perhaps treating everyone very well should be the norm. Too much to hope for, methinks.
Exactly. It's little things like the "Hi" above, or like having to bludgeon people with geek talk because - despite your thinkgeek t-shirt and dubious personal hygiene - they still think you're in Marketing.
In my experience women programmers are treated very well. However, there's a school of thought that being treated well is being treated differently, and that's what some find so off-putting.
I've seen a woman programmer turn up at a meeting and have someone bustle over and say "Gosh, hi, welcome! Nice to see you!" In contrast, everyone else is given a generic "Hi!" and then ignored until they join in. It's that different treatment that can irritate.
Something I've heard is "Why can't I just be treated like everyone else?"
Perhaps treating everyone very well should be the norm. Too much to hope for, methinks.