One further anecdote, when we hire for entry level computer operator positions, (the only position I’ve ever been involved on the hiring committee), we always have a woman on the committee, just to help any woman applicants feel a little more at ease during the interview. I believe we did this to help remove barriers like they were talking about above, though we really had very few female applicants.
Just as an aside, most people in the animation field are NOT computer geeks first - they are artists first, and then they learn computers as part of their job - same as, say, an administrative assistant. With that in mind, the disparity is a bit baffling.
I read a book once on the making of Antz, and apparently few of the animation artists had touched a graphic arts program or even a computer before signing onto the movie.
I probably should start another thread for this topic.
I once applied for a job in a computer store as a computer technician, and although they needed technicians, they wanted me to teach classes instead. It wasn’t where my experience or interests lay. I wonder how many of those AA statistics take into account the “types” of jobs women are doing…