Girl Geek Dinners Melbourne

Melbourne now has a Girl Geek Dinner group. They are meeting at 100 Mile Cafe, Level 3, Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe Street.

They also have a facebook group so join if you live and work in Melbourne or will be around for one of their dinners.

Yay Melbourne GGD!

"Old boys network" still in science, engineering, and technology?

Via Clo Willaerts on the Girly Geekdom Blog,

The New York Times provides a preview of an upcoming Harvard Business Review article about a study conducted by the Center for Work-Life Policy:

An exodus occurs around age 35 to 40. Fifty-two percent drop out, the report warned, with some leaving for “softer” jobs in the sciences human resources rather than lab bench work, for instance, and others for different work entirely. That is twice the rate of men in the SET industries, and higher than the attrition rate of women in law or investment banking.

The reasons pinpointed in the report are many, but they all have their roots in what the authors describe as a pervasive macho culture.

Ironically, the New York Times publishes this in their Fashion and Style section...

The 147-page report (which was sponsored by Alcoa, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Pfizer and Cisco) is filled with tales of sexual harassment (63 percent of women say they experienced harassment on the job); and dismissive attitudes of male colleagues (53 percent said in order to succeed in their careers they had to “act like a man”); and a lack of mentors (51 percent of engineers say they lack one); and hours that suit men with wives at home but not working mothers (41 percent of technology workers says they need to be available “24/7”).

What I'm curious about are the tales of the 48% that do stay, especially those that are thriving.

What are the lessons to be learned from the best current experiences that go beyond just removing the factors that cause women to leave?

GGD Discount @ Next FITT Lunch

FITT is delighted to welcome members of Geek Girls Dinners to the FITT May Forum Luncheon on Wednesday 21 May 2008 from 12 – 2.30pm at the Star Room in the IMAX Theatre at Darling Harbour.

The lunch discussion is about a hot topic – Unified Communications. We have a panel discussion with Patricia Scott, Secretary of the Federal Department of Broadband, Communications & the Digital Economy, Holly Kramer, Group Managing Director, Product Management, Telstra, Adele Whish-Wilson, CEO Momentum Technologies (Australian Innovator of mobile video streaming technology) and Dr Anna Liu, Group Manager, Emerging Technologies, Microsoft Australia.

You can submit your own questions to the panel, which is moderated by IT journalist Beverley Head, at www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=eKbSIW_2fkADfFi9qsH5Aa_2fQ_3d_3d.

Because of sponsorship, as a special introductory offer to GGD members, we are able to offer $15 off the normal FITT member’s price of $90. To register go to www.eventoffice.com/fitt and use the promotion code FITT15OFF in the booking section and then pay $75 by credit card. For more information about the event, see www.fitt.org.au/events.html.

I've booked my seat. Hope to see you all there.

Join the Get Stuff Done Gang

If you have ideas for what you want from the Girl Geek Dinners Sydney group, then come to our first organiseyness event. Get in there and organise the events that appeal to you and others. Help with events that other people want to push.

If you want something done, do it yourself. We want you too.

Where: Lindt Chocolate Cafe, Cockle Bay, Sydney
When: 6pm on Thursday the 15th of May
What: Let's get organised since attempts to clone Damana have not been successful

Important: Not sponsored. Chocolate consumption is highly recommended but not compulsory.

I know you all have opinions and ideas so let's make them happen together. Or just come along to hang out with some really cool geek girls and co :) I love to chat.