Women and the DIY / Hackerspace Movement

Recently, a large number of “hackerspaces” have been popping up in cities around the US.  For those who don’t know, a hackerspace is a physical space where DIY enthusiasts collaborate on projects and pool their resources to buy tools they couldn’t afford on their own.  These spaces are creating new opportunities and producing a lot of exciting projects.

However, many of these spaces are severely lacking in diversity.  For example, the space I’m part of (which shall remain nameless) is about 95% male.  Luckily, most of the members recognize the importance of reaching out a more diverse group.  There are a lot of ideas about good (and bad) ways to do this, and I certainly have my own, but I thought this community would be a great place to get a another perspective and generate some discussion.

For some background on the policies of my particular space: full use of the space is open to the public for free as long as a member is present.  Dues-paying members get 24-hour access and a vote.  The monthly dues are about 3 times the cost of a fitness club membership.  Most evenings we have free classes on various topics open to the public, usually taught by members.  The group is very open to moving in new directions to accommodate as wide a range of interests as possible.

Some of the factors that we think may be discouraging women (and other potential members) from participating in our hackerspace and others are:

feeling like an outsider due to existing gender ratio
price of dues
guilt over using the space without paying dues
lack of interest in existing projects / classes / tools

Some of the ideas that have been suggested so far are:

matching potential members with an existing member as a point of contact
scholarships to cover some or all of dues
introductory rates
tiered membership rates
free memberships to an initial group of women

So, any thoughts?  What are the best ways to include women and minorities in the hackerspace movement?  Anyone else here have personal experience with hackerspaces, or other DIY or tech groups?  Looking forward to hearing what you all have to say!