Dear System Dynamics Society Community
My name is Diana Fisher and I have taught a System Dynamics Modeling
course for the past 13 years, first at Franklin High School, and now at
Wilson High School, in Portland, Oregon. I am in the process of writing a
paper entitled ""Women in System Dynamics Modeling: Out of the Loop?,"" for
the International SD conference in Oxford this summer. This paper is an
extension of a paper presented at the ISDC in New York last summer. I would
like to expand the responses to the set of questions that were posed to some
women professionals in my previous paper and include responses from the men
in the SD community as well as more women in the community. I was hoping
you might consider offering your perspective by answering the following
questions (see below). I have heard talk (officially, in presentations, and
unofficially, in conversation) at the ISDC that some feel that women might
not be interested/adept at creating and analyzing system dynamics models.
I thought this paper might shed light on that statement.
If you do not have time to answer the questions, I can appreciate your
constraints. If you do respond, thank you for your time.
**PLEASE SEND THE RESPONSES TO ME PERSONALLY (rather than to the list serve)
** use either email address: dfisher@pps.k12.or.us or dfisher25@verizon.net
I will need the responses no later than April 17, 2004 in order to compile
and include them in the final version of my paper. Thank you for your
responses.
***********************************************************************
0.1 Please identify yourself as female ____ or male ____
0.2 Are you trained, either formally or informally, in system dynamics
modeling? _______
1. Why do you think learning to create and analyze dynamic systems models
is important?
2. What attracted you to this study?
3. What makes this field attractive to women? (Or what do you think might
make this field attractive to women?)
4. Why do you think more women are not pursuing this field of study?
5. What are some (or what do you think are some) of the most difficult
problems women encounter in their study (either topics or pressures)?
6. Do you think women will use what they learn in SD modeling and apply it
to their careers? Would your answer be different for men? If different for
men, how would it be different?
7. Should the System Dynamics Society be worried about the low levels of
women professionals in the field? If not, why not? If so, what
could/should the society do about it?
*************************************************************************
Diana M. Fisher
dfisher25@verizon.net