1 Based on the article, I observed that they were dealing with college students.  Undergrads aren't exactly known for their decision making skills.

Especially in an ever-increasing competitive environment like computer science, with far more jobs being shipped abroad, and 22% unemployment at home, I'd venture to say that the majority of the unemployed female computer science majors wouldn't care if they worked in an office decorated with inflatable penises.  Most would be thrilled to have a job, even if that meant when they watched "the Office" they thought of it longingly as a Dream Job.

As far as morons--no.  Wimmin are way smarter than that.  Superficial... well, there's a reason the fairer sex prefers jewelry and other shiny baubles as gifts and signs of love.  Cost=ability to provide, shiny=demonstrates that ability to others. 

I'll stick to phasers and canned bacon, sociology and psychology aren't real science, anyway.

2

I can see the day coming where my Darth Tater will be considered a sign of a hostile work environment.

As long as they don't come after my red Swingline...

3 Code Monkey, staplers are Europpressive and must go!

Seriously, the story has Leftist premises:

Geeks drive girls out of computer science

The title makes it sound as if sexist (male) geeks are telling women to not get into computer science and spoil their boys' club. But it is actually the attitudes of the women that are at fault. A more accurate title might be "Women dislike geekery and avoid computer science". But that doesn't fit the script:

- men are eeeevil

- women's (anti-geek) attitudes are a given

Let's turn the tables. Suppose there is a 'feminine' profession with few men. Most men think the environment associated with that profession is too 'girly'. Would that situation be described as "Women drive men away from (profession)"? I doubt it.

All the above assumes that gender parity is the ideal. Is it? Does everything have to be split 50/50?

Nature is unbalanced. Diverse. We are not all the same. We are all good at different things, like different things, etc. Conservatives recognize the way things are and are reluctant to change it.

Leftists reject the status quo and want to impose unnatural equality through redistribution. More females must do male things, and vice versa. Since Leftists can't win against nature, Big Brother must become even bigger to battle our biology.

4 Amritas -- I think there are professions like your turned-tables hypothetical, namely nursing and being a kindergarten teacher.  Few males do those jobs.

5 Sarah, both nursing and school teaching came to mind when I wrote my comment, but I didn't use those examples because I don't think of hospitals and schools as 'girly' places. Male doctors work in the same environment as mostly female nurses. And elementary schools don't look like life-size Barbie houses, though I haven't been in one since the early 80s. Maybe they're all painted pink now. So yes, those professions are mostly female, but their environments lack an equivalent of the geek factor that turns off the opposite sex.

6 Amritas -- True, which is why I jokingly wrote that women are "superficial morons."  If you will turn down a career field simply because someone might have a Star Trek figurine in the cubicle next to you, you are a moron.