Why is this place like 99% male?

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

[Mr. Morden]

And gun related message boards are probably the same way.  Sports, the dorkier side of computers, military, cars, etc.  Granted there probably are some lady friendly forums for all those topics, but the great majority of the rest are probably just as male heavy as we are.

Fair enough.  I guess I wouldn't have intuitively put politics in the same category as NFL fandom on the internet, as having such a skewed imbalance between the sexes, but I guess it does.  Meanwhile, certain other "geeky" topics like science fiction have male heavy message boards, but nowhere near as skewed as this forum, from what I've seen.

OTOH, I've also seen more some political forums like bloggingheads.tv that tended to be older, more highbrow (no offense people), and more focused on issues than voting statistics, and they invariably had a somewhat more balanced male/female ratio than Atlas.  I think, in general, when you have moderation as lax as it is here and a bunch of trolls running around, that tends to drive away women.

[The Mikado]

Worth pointing out: this isn't just a political forum: it's (theoretically, at least) a political cartography forum.  Voting patterns and charts and maps are a much more male approach to politics than the usual one.

[phk]

III.We ain't just a generic politics board, we feature a healthy dose of math and statistics which makes it just that much worse.

There's nothing mathematically rigorous about this board.

Though its somewhat heavy on cartography and to have the energy and "right way of thinking" to memorize counties and the like you have a somewhat autistic cognitive style, which I think occurs more often in males than females.

Most of us are here because of a fateful "election map" search on Google many years ago.

[Torie]

It is odd. Most political forums are 70%-80% male perhaps, because women are less likely to be interested in discussing and debating abstractions such as politics, and certainly psephological number crunching. It is a bit hard to explain why there have been only two or three women here, who tend to drop off after awhile.

[phk]

It is odd. Most political forums are 70%-80% male perhaps, because women are less likely to be interested in discussing and debating abstractions such as politics, and certainly psephological number crunching. It is a bit hard to explain why there have been only two or three women here, who tend to drop off after awhile.

Essembly when it was around was 50-50 in terms of gender ratio, because it was setup like a social network and felt kind of like a digital college playground.

[Smid]

Plucking a few previous posts and joining them together with a common thread...

Worth pointing out: this isn't just a political forum: it's (theoretically, at least) a political cartography forum.  Voting patterns and charts and maps are a much more male approach to politics than the usual one.

And...

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

And...

III.We ain't just a generic politics board, we feature a healthy dose of math and statistics which makes it just that much worse.

There's nothing mathematically rigorous about this board.

Though its somewhat heavy on cartography and to have the energy and "right way of thinking" to memorize counties and the like you have a somewhat autistic cognitive style, which I think occurs more often in males than females.

Most of us are here because of a fateful "election map" search on Google many years ago.

I think Mikado and Phknrocket's comments about cartography, when considered in conjunction with PiT's sports comment, suggest that we mostly focus on the "game/sport" side of politics, rather than the philosophical side. We focus more on elections than on policy development.

[Senator Libertas]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

Yeah, that's the way things are today I think. Morgan's assessment sounds like it might be apt to describe things in the 1950s, but definitely not today.

The entire educational institution in the U.S. is skewed in favor of females and against males. The idea of a woman not having a career is considered unthinkable.

[Mr. Morden]

I think Mikado and Phknrocket's comments about cartography, when considered in conjunction with PiT's sports comment, suggest that we mostly focus on the "game/sport" side of politics, rather than the philosophical side. We focus more on elections than on policy development.

All of that makes sense, and it's why, if I'd never been to this forum before but knew the topics covered, I wouldn't be surprised if the male to female ratio was as high as 10:1.  But it seems to be much higher than 10:1.  I'm definitely not surprise that this is a male dominated forum, but I guess it wouldn't have occurred to me before coming here that the difference between the sexes was quite *that* extreme.

[Lunar]

It should be mentioned too that this forum is almost as white as it is male.  To the extent that a non-white population does exist, it is 99% silent on issues of race.  Just take any affirmative action thread here where people just rant about reverse discrimination without even considering alternative viewpoints...it's almost painful to read even if I ultimately agree with the white kids' conclusions.

In addition to all of the other points in this thread, there may be a self-fulfilling aspect to it all.  Once the forum becomes predominantly young white males it becomes less and less relatable for other demographics when they go through the subconscious decision process whether to register or become regular members.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

Yeah, that's the way things are today I think. Morgan's assessment sounds like it might be apt to describe things in the 1950s, but definitely not today.

The entire educational institution in the U.S. is skewed in favor of females and against males. The idea of a woman not having a career is considered unthinkable.

     The lower grades teach to females, which gives them a distinct advantage throughout their academic pursuits. That math & sciences are still male-dominated disciplines suggests to me that they teach to males in a significant way.

[Senator Libertas]

It should be mentioned too that this forum is almost as white as it is male.  To the extent that a non-white population does exist, it is 99% silent on issues of race.  Just take any affirmative action thread here where people just rant about reverse discrimination without even considering alternative viewpoints...it's almost painful to read even if I ultimately agree with the white kids' conclusions.

Um, are you sure you're talking about the right forum? There are non-whites as well as plenty of self-hating whites who support things like anti-white discrimination a.k.a. "affirmative action."

In addition to all of the other points in this thread, there may be a self-fulfilling aspect to it all.  Once the forum becomes predominantly young white males it becomes less and less relatable for other demographics when they go through the subconscious decision process whether to register or become regular members.

If they hate young white males so much that it keeps them from registering here, that's their problem.

[Lunar]

It's not a matter of hate.  I don't hate Dominicans but I'm not about to walk into an all-Dominican barber shop to get my hair cut.  Even if it's the cheapest, closest place to my apartment, which it is.

[The Age Wave]

Do we want non-Whites?

Considering Hamilton and Sewer Socialist...

Just a thought.

[The Age Wave]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

Yeah, that's the way things are today I think. Morgan's assessment sounds like it might be apt to describe things in the 1950s, but definitely not today.

The entire educational institution in the U.S. is skewed in favor of females and against males. The idea of a woman not having a career is considered unthinkable.

     The lower grades teach to females, which gives them a distinct advantage throughout their academic pursuits. That math & sciences are still male-dominated disciplines suggests to me that they teach to males in a significant way.

Which perfectly follows the typical male:female think:feel divide.

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

To the extent that a non-white population does exist, it is 99% silent on issues of race.

Eh, I talk about race sometimes, and I think I'm more than 1% of the forum non-white population.

[Lunar]

To the extent that a non-white population does exist, it is 99% silent on issues of race.

Eh, I talk about race sometimes, and I think I'm more than 1% of the forum non-white population.

I thought of you as pretty much three quarters of that 1% (along with EvilMexicanDictator or whatevsky his name is).  You'll show up to point out that affirmative action programs for universities don't actually hurt whites, just Asians (true story), but I was thinking along the lines of actual debates about race.  I can't recall any arguments you've gotten in or anything like that. 

Not that I blame you.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

Yeah, that's the way things are today I think. Morgan's assessment sounds like it might be apt to describe things in the 1950s, but definitely not today.

The entire educational institution in the U.S. is skewed in favor of females and against males. The idea of a woman not having a career is considered unthinkable.

     The lower grades teach to females, which gives them a distinct advantage throughout their academic pursuits. That math & sciences are still male-dominated disciplines suggests to me that they teach to males in a significant way.

Which perfectly follows the typical male:female think:feel divide.

     Yet basically all academic disciplines at the college level emphasize thinking. Especially when you consider that something like history is probably little less logic-driven than any physical science.

[Senator Libertas]

It's not a matter of hate.  I don't hate Dominicans but I'm not about to walk into an all-Dominican barber shop to get my hair cut.  Even if it's the cheapest, closest place to my apartment, which it is.

Why? Don't you believe in experiencing diversity?

[Lunar]

It's not a matter of hate.  I don't hate Dominicans but I'm not about to walk into an all-Dominican barber shop to get my hair cut.  Even if it's the cheapest, closest place to my apartment, which it is.

Why? Don't you believe in experiencing diversity?

Yes (otherwise why would I live in a non-white area?), but diversity doesn't always want to experience me.

[The Age Wave]

Every forum that had to do with politics or history that I've been a member of has been mostly male, with one or two females.  I think it all comes down to how people of both sexes are socialized.  Economics classes are mostly male, even at mostly female colleges, because men are simply raised in a way that makes them more inclined towards academics.  Same reason why politics is supposedly a "guy" thing.

Beyond that, spending hours on an Internet forum just isn't "feminine."

The female brain is no different from the male one.  The problem is that women are often-times not raised to utilize it.  Have you ever heard the phrase, that every little girl dreams of her wedding-day?  Well, how many little boys dream of their wedding day?  You can see in how little boys and little girls are treated, that one is being set up for ambition and success, while the other is not.

     Curiously, I've also heard it said that men are raised to forsake academics & focus on sports. Given that both that statement & your statement make a great deal of sense to me, the logical synthesis would be that parenting here is really, really messed up.

Yeah, that's the way things are today I think. Morgan's assessment sounds like it might be apt to describe things in the 1950s, but definitely not today.

The entire educational institution in the U.S. is skewed in favor of females and against males. The idea of a woman not having a career is considered unthinkable.

     The lower grades teach to females, which gives them a distinct advantage throughout their academic pursuits. That math & sciences are still male-dominated disciplines suggests to me that they teach to males in a significant way.

Which perfectly follows the typical male:female think:feel divide.

     Yet basically all academic disciplines at the college level emphasize thinking. Especially when you consider that something like history is probably little less logic-driven than any physical science.

Most liberal arts include more "creative" aspects like writing. It is very different from studying the concrete and absolute like someone studying mathematics or physics would. Science is generally "ordered". While there is variance, nearly everything involves some sort of law that determines what can and can't work. You don't get that in philosophy or sociology because it is much more subjective and "user-oriented".

[Senator Libertas]

It's not a matter of hate.  I don't hate Dominicans but I'm not about to walk into an all-Dominican barber shop to get my hair cut.  Even if it's the cheapest, closest place to my apartment, which it is.

Why? Don't you believe in experiencing diversity?

Yes (otherwise why would I live in a non-white area?), but diversity doesn't always want to experience me.

You fear getting beaten up or something?

I doubt a Dominican would have to fear violence going into a white barber shop.

[The Age Wave]

Lunar and his diverse friends

[Lunar]

Lunar and his diverse friends

Yeah that assumes I have four friends.

[The Age Wave]

Lunar and his diverse friends

Yeah that assumes I have four friends.

Well, two of them look quite unhappy to walk with you.