This is some interesting stuff, the GNOME project is trying to bring more women into the project (and free software development in general) by hosting the first Women’s Summer Outreach Program (WSOP).
This was spurred on by the fact that GNOME received 181 applications for the Google Summer of Code — not a single application from a female developer. Not one.
So, the GNOME folks are trying to do something about it. It was started by Hanna Wallach and Chris Ball, and lasts through September. It will be interesting to see how successful the program is. I don’t think that it will singlehandedly take care of the problem, nor do I think the organizers expect it to either, but it might be a turning point in bringing more women into FOSS development.
I wonder if this will motivate other projects to follow suit?
