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I've been following with some interest the recent discussions on MBTI,
stereotypes, and stupid tasks.
I'd like to ask people about something Sharon Burton-Hardin mentioned. I've
often wondered if there is a difference in the way male and female tech
writers are treated by engineers, developers, and others who consider
themselves "actually" part of the development of a product. "Duh, of
course!" isn't an answer. ;)
This isn't a question about whether or not these assumptions are true -- I'm
just wondering whether many people have noticed a tendency among non-writers
to assume that female tech writers know less than they actually do and to
assume that male tech writers know more than they actually do.
I can't speak for my female cohorts, but the developers I've worked with
have often assumed I know more about something than I actually do. It's
flattering, but frustrating, because I have to specifically point out my
ignorance. I share many of the same personal and professional interests with
developers (sci-fi, Slashdot, XML, computer games, etc.), so I think it
leads to assumptions about my knowledge of other things -- Java, C++, and so
on. Am I completely crazy, or am I picking up on something that's relatively
common?
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