[UbuntuWomen] Ubuntu Women Sessions for Ubuntu Open Week

[Lucy]

2009/11/4 Elizabeth Krumbach <lyz at ubuntu.com>:
> On Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 2:14 PM, Elizabeth Krumbach <lyz at ubuntu.com> wrote:
>> I mentioned previously that Mackenzie and I were working on some
>> Ubuntu Women sessions for Ubuntu Open Week:
>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek
>>
>> We'll be hosting two sessions, back to back:
>>
>> Thu 5 Nov @ 20:00 UTC: Ubuntu Women: Women in Open Source - Issues
>> Thu 5 Nov @ 21:00 UTC: Ubuntu Women: Women in Open Source - Encouragement
> <snip>
>
> Just a quick reminder that these are going to be happening in about 22.5 hours.
>
>> but I think it would be great to get some real stories or scenarios
>> within open source where you may have felt uncomfortable because of
>> your gender. Or fellas - do you have stories anywhere in life where
>> your gender made you feel awkward that I could use to draw parallels?
>> Feel free to email me off-list, the examples in my presentation will
>> be handled anonymously.
>
> Anyone have anything else before the session tomorrow? So far my
> examples pretty much center around some of the stories I've been
> exposed to that have made some women feel less welcome (marriage
> proposals from strangers upon learning they use linux, being -or
> feeling like- you're the only woman in a room/project/irc channel/etc,
> being in the audience at an event where the speaker makes remarks
> assuming the audience is all male, assumptions being made that you're
> somewhere as a "girlfriend" and the resulting shock when people learn
> you're actually involved).

To follow up on my last post, I've just read a really nice blog entry
by someone talking about women in conferences in a really balanced and
proactive way: http://www.cyberspice.org.uk/blog/2009/10/30/encouraging-women-to-attend-your-conference/#more-340