Ask her what statistics she is using to base her conclusions from.

If I had to make a wide-sweeping statement such as she did, I would say that *male* "computer people" tend to marry women *older* than themselves, as the women who have matured to the point that they consider security and comfort over fickle puppy love choose a man with a well paying job who can work at home. Attributes that just happen to coincide with much of the jobs in the fields related to software.

Females don't take as active of a part in *anything* related to computers. Perl is not special. The reason that I believe is the closest to the truth is 'social engineering.' Females are not encouraged by their peers, or their teachers, from grade school, to be competent professionals in fields related to computers. The women who *do* make it past this socialogical barrier do quite well, so I do not believe that genetics has any part in it. They are assumed to not be interested, so they don't become interested.

I'm 23, married, and we just had our first child. I disagree with her 'socially immature' comment. I describe it as 'socially disinterested.' Why enter mundane and boring conversations about the weather or the latest movie, when I could be learning a technical skill that could actually improve my understanding in my field? People assume that because other people are unlike them, that these other people are lacking. I don't tell people like her that they are lacking because they happen to enjoy boring conversations with people that they don't even like at occasions that they wish they weren't even at.

Just a critique of people like her... I don't know her, so I might be way off base... :-)