This is actually a subject I have been thinking about quite recently concerning several of my previous co-ops . I have had the opportunity to work at two really great companies, and the first had absolutely no women in the design department (except for myself and the other female coop) while the second was split more 1/3 women to men.
I can say right out that while places were filled with awesome, really nice people, the atmosphere at each was completely different. While I was treated equally at both I felt much more comfortable at the second, due to the fact that I didnt feel as much the need to prove my abilities, and just generally didnt need to worry so much about gender norms. An example of this is if I baked cookies to bring to work. At the first coop I would worry that doing this would insert me into a gender stereotype and I wouldn’t be taken as seriously. At the second, It didn’t worry as much because it wasn’t something “the girl” did, it was just something that I did.
Again I will emphasize that nothing about the people I was working with was instigating these thoughts. They were all amazing people and I was treated perfectly fairly. I’m not even sure why it felt like a big deal at the time. I guess I’m just saying that maybe part of the reason women gravitate towards different fields later in their careers is because they simply want to be around more women in the workplace. And so it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.
Like the UC grad above my current class is split about 50/50. But going into the workplace it is much more likely that the percentage will shift to become more male heavy. But I do really think that in about 10 years it will even out. Haha I myself intend to hang on ID for as long as possible.