Women and wargaming

[Rex Brynen]

A recent readers survey we did at PAXsims highlight how very disproportionately male our readers are. For those of us who work in professional/serious (war)gaming, this gender imbalance is a problem, both for diversity-of-perspectives reasons and for engaging-maximum-brainpower reasons.

Gender imbalances in the broader military and national security communities are part of the cause of this, of course. However the extraordinarily low representation of women among hobby wargamers isn't helpful either.

For some further thoughts on this, see my piece at PAXsims.

These might also be of interest:

• Symposium on women and professional wargaming
• Woman and wargaming thread at BGG

[Bison]

What should we impose a quota?  Frankly why can we just get past this whole search for equality and let people enjoy what they want to enjoy?  If a woman wants to wargame,  it's not like they are forbidden from doing so.  Perhaps it's just not an appealing hobby or pastime for them.  And for those who do enjoy the hobby or professional wargaming more power to them.  There plenty to go around for whoever wants to wargame.  Male or female.

[bayonetbrant]

I think from a hobby perspective, you're probably right. But on the professional front, if we're using these as tools for policy decisions or course of action comparisons at a strategic or operational level, it might not hurt to have some other perspectives in the room

[Bison]

So quotas is the answer.  How about professionals are pulled from people who want to be there rather than arbitrarily forcing people into the room because they had xy chromosomes that determine their sexual organs?   

[bayonetbrant]

So quotas is the answer.  How about professionals are pulled from people who want to be there rather than arbitrarily forcing people into the room because they had xy chromosomes that determine their sexual organs?   

if you're going to have women in decision-making positions - not through quota but through their own interest in the job and their promotions based on merit - why wouldn't you want them equally represented in the professional wargaming world that purports to help them with decision-making related to their jobs?

[Bison]

First off I never said I didn't want them in wargaming or in stratgic positions where wargaming may be used, but thanks for putting words in my mouth.  I said it is a poor policy in general to fill positions in any field just because there is a "feeling" that its unequal.  I said perhaps it's unequal due to differing interests.  I've known plenty of very capable women in "traditionally" male fields because they wanted to be there because that is where their interests lead them.  You want more women to wargame?  Then daughters need to be taught and exposed to wargaming, which I do with mine.  Does that mean they will grow up with that interest?  Not at all, but they were exposed to it by someone who loved them enough to take the time to teach them and play with them. 

[Rex Brynen]

I'm a little mystified how quotas got into the conversation. No one is suggesting quotas. Rather, it is being suggested that the hobby could probably do more to encourage women gamers (and that for a small number of those women, their exposure to hobby wargaming could pay professional dividends).

a) In my experience it isn't all that difficult, certainly not in a university setting, to find women who are interested in wargaming, or gaming conflict or security or political issues more broadly. Indeed, when you ask for volunteers typically 40-60% are female.

b) When you hang around with professional wargamers these days, 10-20% might be female.

c) On the other hand, most gaming clubs or online fora are 0-5% female.

There are many reasons why that difference exists. I suspect that part of it is that (a) and (b) are more welcoming and encouraging environments than (c). Moreover (a) in particular has very low barriers to entry (ie, no prior experience or knowledge is required.)

If so, that suggests we're making the hobby smaller than it could be--which seems kind of silly to me.

[bayonetbrant]

You want more women to wargame?  Then daughters need to be taught and exposed to wargaming, which I do with mine.  Does that mean they will grow up with that interest?  Not at all, but they were exposed to it by someone who loved them enough to take the time to teach them and play with them. 

On that we can absolutely agree

[Rex Brynen]

You want more women to wargame?  Then daughters need to be taught and exposed to wargaming, which I do with mine.  Does that mean they will grow up with that interest?  Not at all, but they were exposed to it by someone who loved them enough to take the time to teach them and play with them. 

On that we can absolutely agree

Amen!

[Bison]

I'd assume that the majority of the volunteers you are pulling at a university setting are coming from a political science or subfield of study.  That isn't a very good representation of the general population overall.  There's nothing wrong with the individuals whom are interested and volunteering at the university setting, since they will be the future professionals that hopefully have been taught the skills to help with strategic thinking.  Whether or not serious war(gaming) is a requirement of that profession.

In the general population, wargaming is a niche hobby.  That niche hobby is spread out to how many different types of wargames?  I'd assume people are generally drawn to wargaming either through being exposed to it at a young age, by friends, or a "hook" that brings them to wargaming such as an interest in WW2.  Wargaming is competing against every other imaginable hobby out there.  So there needs to be a strong appeal against every other hobby that will give someone the preference for it over other hobbies.  I still think that it's just a matter of interest.  You have to have enough interest to spend your time with something whether that's wargaming, bowling, cooking, or any other hobby.

[GJK]

... it is being suggested that the hobby could probably do more to encourage women gamers ...

Did this big research project ever stop to think that perhaps wargaming just doesn't interest all but a small slice of the female populace just as drinking wine and painting nails doesn't interest all but a small slice of the male populace?  I think there might of been design decisions that were put into this mix for a reason but we as the creations keep wanting distort the whole thing.

[undercovergeek]

too much common sense there GJK!

[GJK]

too much common sense there GJK!

Even with my ASL "brain drain" hangover from yesterday's gaming I could figure that one out.   ^-^

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

We're still on for some Chablis and our mani/pedi though, right?

[bbmike]

Chablis....is that a single malt?  ???