MakerGear Forum

So I'm new to 3d printing and was just wondering is this mostly a male dominated hobby or are there quite a few woman making things as well?

Hmmm, let's see. . . We could make a giant array sorting M2 owners and forum posters based on race, gender, religion, and sexual orientation, and offend everybody in the process. . .

What matters is that we are all connected by a common trait. . . We are all MAKERS.

What's in a screen name? My full name might be Willhelmina!

I think what is good about the creation of the home 3d printer AND the internet AND globalization all together is that when you get online it does not take long to realize how NOT in the majority you can quickly become. Conversely, an unknown personage of any status can be become a respected guru.

I don't know how M2 ownership goes, but we have some respected female voices on this forum. My wife likes the printer and I have made stuff by request, but she is not interested in using it herself. My daughter on the other hand, is becoming interested in it for art projects and I have encouraged her to learn and use the printer. My grandmother (90 years old) thinks they are pure magic and she wants one!

In my causal online observation, yes, currently there seem to be more males, but I think we are going to see a "sexual shift" as printers become more ubiquitous and available.

In this day and time, would you ask the question, "How many females are using 2D printers?" Of course not!

I'd say right now, it's mostly a man's world, but more and more gals are getting interested in it. I might be the only one who hangs out here daily now, but there are a couple of other gals that I've seen posts from, so they're out there.

Chuckle......Regarding the Elephant in the Room: Political Correctness

I truly do feel sorry for you guys these days, you have to walk through such a ridiculous mine-field all the time. Whoever decided that the current status quo was "fair" has been listening to the "Victim Monger Politicians" for waaaaay too long. What the politicians realize that most genuinely good guys don't, is that putting us into a "protected class" is patronizing, and continues to propagate the myth than women are in some way inferior. We're not. Neither are men, and they are not responsible for the current societal shortcomings. In any way. (So stop believing them when they try to shovel that "snow", I promise you they have an agenda of their own and it has nothing to do with equity for women. Or blacks, or gays, or anybody else but themselves. They divide us for political gain, because it works.)

I refuse to be one of their "victims", thank you. I'm perfectly comfortable in my own skin. And i don't mind being identified as a girl.....I am a girl.

The cutter forum i moderate is almost exclusively gals, with the occasional guy who pops in looking for help cutting etching templates for circuitry. Both forum experiences have been exactly the same. I certainly haven't been offended by anything I've seen here.

I've got no problem with being categorized as "one of the guys". I consider it a compliment, and it's a lot easier to type/read than "one of the guys/girls/gender neutrals, as the case may be". Girls are no different from guys, (except for a few physical differences), and we can actually laugh at ourselves, and we will not burst into tears at the drop of a hat. (Usually.) Okay, let me qualify that - pregnant women are a totally different animal - hormones, you know.

You can talk to us just the same way you would with one of your male friends and we're fine with that. Do something considerate and I will thank you. Tell me I'm wrong, and if it's true, I'll acknowledge it. If I think I'm right, I'll argue the point. Treat me with courtesy, and I will respond in kind. Try to pick a fight, with me, or with anyone I like, and I'll do my best to grind you into powder. (Got a rather fierce protective streak.)

So no biggie, and no differences really. I like being a girl, and haven't found it limiting in the least. I don't expect everyone to like me, or cater to me, or treat me with kid gloves just because I'm a girl.

Cut yourself some slack fellas.....seriously.

You forgot to ask "A/S/L?"

Matt_Sharkey wrote:You forgot to ask "A/S/L?"

ROFL! Had to hit the Urban Dictionary.....you can tell how much time I've spent in chat rooms!

Jules wrote:you can tell how much time I've spent in chat rooms!

Ohhh chat rooms....

side question, what the hell kind of stupid, sexist question was that? how about you think with the upper head before you post with the lower one

I'm currently laughing so hard I can't even type straight. (Ferengi? Snort!).......It really wasn't a sexist question. He wanted to know the ratio of guy to girl M2 owners, with no slight implied towards females that I saw.

I would say, on this forum, currently 99%+ male, 1 highly amused female. (I think there are a lot more gals using different printers though, lots of female icons/names on Thingiverse.)

Could be a psychology thesis in the works and we just took the bait.