Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ucbvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!houxz!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!hpda!fortune!amd!dual!ucbvax!wildbill From: wildbill@ucbvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Game playing Message-ID: <1410@ucbvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 24-Jul-84 22:33:29 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.1410 Posted: Tue Jul 24 22:33:29 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 28-Jul-84 20:50:30 EDT References: <4927@utcsrgv.UUCP> Organization: U.C. Berkeley Lines: 49 > Why do only a miniscule number of women play games? > I have noticed this in almost every game. I suppose bridge might be an > exception [...] > Tom West > {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!platzer Not really. Although there are a fair number of female bridge players, the quantity of such is directly proportional to age and inversely proportional to ability beyond a certain minimal level. Once you progress beyond the social level (who knows how many women play a game of chess/ scrabble/etc with a consenting adult in the privacy of their home; this is the level of interest which I associate with the social games of bridge you are thinking of), bridge is quite male-dominated. As a serious bridge player of approximately 8 years' standing, I offer the following: o Local tournaments often hold a Men's Pairs and a Women's Pairs on Friday afternoons. Despite the fact that substantially more men than women have jobs which would be expected to prevent them from playing, the events attract roughly the same number of entrants. o Of the bridge players whom I know who are under 40, about 10% are female. (Once again, these are primarily tournament-level players.) Hardly any of these (there are a few) can be regarded as more than reasonably competent. Most are involved in the game because their husband/SO is either very interested or an outright fanatic. o In a recent Unmixed Pairs (only man/man or woman/woman partnerships allowed) at a major tournament, the highest finish by a female pair was 11th. o Only one woman has ever represented the United States in any of the open events (World Championship Teams, Olympiad Open Pairs, Olympiad Open Teams) since the organization of continuing world championship play. None have since 1960. o Only one woman has ever won the McKenney Trophy, awarded annually for the best performance in American Contract Bridge League sanctioned events. o Of the 25 members of the ACBL Board of Directors, only 2 are female. So I would have to say that bridge isn't really an exception. Maybe a little less male-dominated than most, but not a whole lot. ____ Bill Laubenheimer ___ / \ ___ UC-Berkeley Computer Science / \ | o o | / \ ucbvax!wildbill ------+++----------()----------+++------ ...Killjoy was here!