In reply to A. Canton.

then perhaps the proper response is for the WP Foundation to develop and implement its own ‘affirmative-action’ plan for not only WordCamp, but perhaps for WordPress as a whole.

You continue to conflate encouraging women as being discriminatory against others. Again, that is not the case.

Such a program would ensure that certain demographics get free or reduced prices on WordCamp tickets, meals, seminars, etc.

That's not stated in the scholarship notice anywhere, it's obviously about encouraging more women to participate in this community via a recipient of this scholarship.

The Foundation could also enact a directive (which would be hard to enforce but would help to rectify the injustice you allude to) that all premium plugins and themes listed on the .org site stipulate that certain demographics are to receive them free or at reduced cost.

Premium plugins and themes? How did that come up? That's a wild stretch and has nothing to do with encouraging the participation of women in the WordPress community.

Perhaps we should have awards for each demographic (except probably for white males under 35 years of age) so as to help broaden ‘the base’ of the community? Just a thought.

I'm confident as part of the "demographic" you think is being discriminated against (and that remains not to be the case) that such a scholarship isn't necessary*.

Why are you opposed to the idea of balancing the playing field of the community? How does helping underrepresented groups diminish you in anyway?

I wont presume that you ever asked for help, but if someone tried to help you would you turn them away unless they helped everyone else too at the same time?

*Note: I was helped by the WordPress Foundation to attend an event in San Francisco in 2014. The appropriate reply from me wasn't "Help all people or it's discrimination". My reply was "Thank you."