­
What I've been reading: The Trouble With Women — ICT & Computing in Education
  • Front Page
  • Search
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
Menu

ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
  • Front Page
  • Search
  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
  • Info
    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
    • CV/Resumé
    • My Writing
    • Published articles
  • Corrections Policy
the trouble with women.jpg

What I've been reading: The Trouble With Women

January 18, 2018

Another book of cartoons, this time illustrating some of the things (famous) men have said about women. When I was reading about Ada Lovelace I found it quite appalling that in her days men thought women were too mentally fragile to cope with mathematics or science.

In this book, Jackie Fleming ridicules that kind of thinking, sometimes by repeating what people like Darwin said -- she continually refers to Darwin and others as ‘geniuses’, and it becomes quite obvious fairly quickly that she does not quite regard them as geniuses when it comes to their ‘scientific’ conclusions about women. (The constant references to ‘genius’ are similar to Marc Anthony’s speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which he keeps referring to Brutus et al as ‘honourable men’.)

At other times, the cartoons and statements are silly, but no more so than the attitudes being ridiculed. For example, studying too much made women’s hair fall out.

A good corrective to some of the daft things men have said about women (and still do). 

You can buy the book here: The trouble with women (Amazon affiliate link).

This review was first published in the Digital Education newsletter.

Related articles
Where are the girls in ICT and Computing? Still an apposite question (unfortunately)
Apr 9, 2025
Where are the girls in ICT and Computing? Still an apposite question (unfortunately)
Apr 9, 2025

I wrote and published this more than ten years ago (in 2014). Apart from the fact that some terminology has changed and some resources are no longer available, it is still relevant. What a sad situation.

Apr 9, 2025
#Flashback Friday: Sexism in computer stores
Jun 17, 2022
#Flashback Friday: Sexism in computer stores
Jun 17, 2022

In 1994 I set out with my wife to discover the best place to buy a computer system -- and discovered a lot of sexism along the way.

Jun 17, 2022
What I've been reading: The Trouble With Women
Jan 18, 2018
What I've been reading: The Trouble With Women
Jan 18, 2018

You would hardly believe the ridiculous things that 'genius' men have said about women's capabilities. I can't help thinking that if Ada Lovelace had been a man we'd have had computers at least one generation before we did. Anyway, here are my views on a book that deals with the issue.

Jan 18, 2018
Women and girls and technology: a matter of biology?
Sep 20, 2017
Women and girls and technology: a matter of biology?
Sep 20, 2017

Are girls and women biologically predetermined to not be natural programmers? No, I don't think so either. This article contains some interesting points based on recent discussions, and links to (hopefully) useful articles.

Sep 20, 2017
Sexism in computer stores
Feb 28, 2017
Sexism in computer stores
Feb 28, 2017

In 1994 I set out with my wife to discover the best place to buy a computer system -- and discovered a lot of sexism along the way.

Feb 28, 2017
May 15, 2015
How I got into coding and why I think everyone should do it!
May 15, 2015
ZX Spectrum, National Museum of Computing, Bletchley ParkIn this, the last of a three-part series on girls and women in computing, PhD student and Further Education lecturer Amanda Wilson describes how an early interest in computing followed by picking up everything she could while working led to a dream job.
May 15, 2015
May 14, 2015
Girls and technology
May 14, 2015
In this, the second of a three-part series about girls and women in Computing, school student Ellie Gregson suggests why girls tend not to choose STEM subjects.

Young people love to use technology. In school, we jump at the opportunity to use the iPads for research, or to use laptops for typing up essays or creating PowerPoints in class. In my school, when an iPad trolley is dragged into the classroom at the start of a lesson, there is always a race between the students to the front of the classroom, desperate not to have to share it with others, or be stuck with a tablet with a 10% battery life remaining.

May 14, 2015
May 13, 2015
Girls and Computing
May 13, 2015
Wrens operating the 'Colossus' computer, 1943.This is the first of three articles about girls and women in Computing.

On March 8th it was International Women's Day.

May 13, 2015
Apr 29, 2015
Digital Education Ezine April 2015
Apr 29, 2015
Bett 2015 Board 3At last! Or, to use the vernacular, woo hoo! The latest edition of the Digital Education ezine is now out. It contains a round-up of products seen at Bett, articles on girls and women in technology, loads of links and book reviews. Here’s a detailed list of the contents:
Apr 29, 2015
Dec 4, 2014
Encouraging girls to do computing: an economics approach
Dec 4, 2014
Discussions about getting more girls to do computing tend to focus on strategies like providing role models or some form of positive discrimination. Unfortunately, providing role models is not always easy, and I disagree with positive discrimination on principle. So what's the alternative?
Dec 4, 2014
In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Reviews, Bookshelf Tags girls, women, gender
← What next for ed tech in 2018?Creating a culture of innovation, part 2: Make The Professional Development Interesting →
Recent book reviews
Backlist: The Written World
Backlist: The Written World

Writing was invented ‘only’ a few thousand years ago. It’s a fascinating story.

Read More →
Backlist: What I'm reading: Bounce
Backlist: What I'm reading: Bounce

What does it take to become an expert? And what can the Computing teacher do about it?

Read More →
Backlist: The Fourth Education Revolution
Backlist: The Fourth Education Revolution

The title of this book invites curiosity: what were the other three ‘revolutions?

Read More →
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps
A book review for your English department colleagues perhaps

Some of these stories are so richly told, it can almost seem as though you’re right there with him.

Read More →
Review: Pen Names
Review: Pen Names

OK, so this has nothing to do with education technology, but we all read (I hope!). A very interesting examination of the pen names some authors have adopted, and why.

Read More →
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History
Review: The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History

There's a really interesting section in this book about how ceramic storage of data and information is probably the most likely medium to stand the test of time.

Read More →
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps
A book review for your biology colleagues perhaps

The subject under discussion here is how human physiology has developed in different ways, in response to different conditions around the world.

Read More →
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

Read More →
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

Read More →
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

Read More →
Dig+Ed+Banner.jpg

Contact us

Privacy

Cookies

Terms and conditions

This website is powered by Squarespace

(c) Terry Freedman All Rights Reserved