You may have noticed that I provide no solutions to the problem[1] of the under-representation in either my hacky attempt to quantify said problem or my personal response to the experience of investigation. There is a good reason for this. I do not have any. I don’t do PR. I’m not a psychologist, a sociologist, or any other “-ologist” that might have expertise on such things. I’m also not a woman, although I have had rugby opponents imply as much in inexcusably sexist and misogynistic tones. Basically, I have as much confidence that I have something constructive to contribute to the proposal and evaluation of solutions as I do to solving the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Contrary to common idiom, one does not have to have proposed solutions to point out an issue. Dr. Mrs. Rugbyologist claims to not know how to solve the problem of a clogged drain trap. That fact has no impact on my desire to have her tell me when she observes such a problem.
There are, however, others who are willing to propose some advice on making “dude-dominated subculture” more female friendly. You can read the advice of Courtney Stoker and Joseph Hewitt at Amanda Hess’s “The Sexist” in “Make Your Dude-Dominated Subculture More Accessible to Women” and a variety of reader responses here. Let me know if you find anything that sounds like a good idea.
NOTES
- Once again, assuming you agree that this phenomenon is a “problem”. The phenomenon exists, but one does not have to agree that “something must be done”.
The Finch and Pea 