It’s about getting more people in CS, of all types, and social media helps

Interesting interview from the Wall Street Journal.  I agree with Mayer, that we need more people of all shapes and sizes, and that will get us more women.  I agree with Fitzpatrick about the “soft evidence” that social media is drawing more people into CS — but I’d like to see harder.

Ms. Mayer: There is a decline in women graduating in computer science and engineering and that is concerning, but the simple fact is we just arent producing enough computer scientists, so I view it as less of a gender issue. So if we can produce more computer scientists the absolute numbers of women will grow and well achieve more balance.

WSJ: Has the growth of powerful, consumer-facing Internet companies such as Facebook Inc. attracted more women to the field?

Ms. Fitzpatrick: I see soft evidence of it all the time when I go out and talk to women in computer science at universities. There is so much real evidence of what you can do with a mobile phone and a developer tool kit; you can create magic, and it makes it feel much more attainable.

via Tech Executives See Paths for Women, Especially Geeks – WSJ.com.

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