The reasons behind the dearth of women in computing and engineering require more research to understand fully, but if a large portion of women aren’t interested in studying those subjects, it would be unwise to force them. Requiring people to study a subject in order to meet a contrived balance is just as bad as restricting them from entering areas they’re passionate about. Granted, the cause may be that women have been discouraged from pursuing careers in engineering since their childhood, but that’s pure speculation. Anecdotal evidence from a book on raising children claims that if you give a boy a doll and a girl a truck, the girl will baby the truck and put it to bed while the boy will rip the doll apart. Whether that’s due to nature or nurture has yet to be determined empirically, but if women prefer different areas of study than men, what would be gained by increasing the number of women studying subject areas that don’t interest them? Men and women differ in many ways and it can be dangerous to assume that anything one gender enjoys will be just as enjoyable to the opposite gender. In areas where men and women differ, it could be a positive and complimentary difference, not an area needing reform. A passion for the subject is most important, regardless of the subject area or gender