Why are there so few women in technical professions? Are women bad at programming? Do they keep rejecting programming jobs? Do they fail to fit into the culture of tech companies? Actually, all of these reasons aren’t true.
Here’s a nice long (and depressing) article (don’t forget to read the comments, as well as this discussion thread)…
http://valleywag.gawker.com/this-is-why-there-arent-enough-women-in-tech-1221929631
What do women think? (some quotes from the article on valeeywag)
“They didn’t want us. Too many still don’t. –spence900“
And…
“I no longer touch code because I couldn’t deal with the constant dismissing and undermining of even my most basic work by the “brogramming” gulag I worked for. And that started even when I was in school. I was the ONLY female in my university’s mid-level programming courses and even though I worked to hard to always be in the top 95% of the curve, if a pasty white guy with thin-rimmed glasses and a tee-shirt with an “ironic” phrase doubted me, I was wrong.
I spent my life around midWestern dudes and high school jocks, but there is no misogyny like silicon valley nerd misogyny –whoa-disillusionment“
And more…
“Dude, I have a Masters in CS, programming certifications, experience in mobile dev, and years of experience. I am also a woman, laid off in January. I have yet to find a job. I’m either too “senior” or “not senior enough.” Sight unseen I’m rejected many times.
I am not entry level so I can’t be one of the token hires to show that a company supports women in tech […]
Somehow women in tech may get the mascot entry level coding jobs, maybe, but there ARE some of us with experience that hit a block as soon as we are out of entry level and remain in tech, not switching to project management or marketing.
I’m quite often the finalist in interviews, never being hired. And their teams remain all dudes. I’m told I’m too senior when I apply down the experience chain. I still do it, because I need the regular gig. The truth is, most places where I live won’t hire women beyond entry level in development groups and if you are beyond that with experience managing dev groups even, with a Master’s degree even, forget it. Perhaps someone who does some html work or marketing, but not in the tech group. I’ll hit the nail on the head perhaps sooner or later, but it’s very ironic they like to say they are begging for talent. But they have to have a certain look. And not be over 35.
I was told to get more education, experience, etc, got it and even then, my progress up the chain had at least a 5-7 year lag to any dude with less education and experience. Why did I get a Master’s in CS, because I had to to prove things. Why did I get certifications? Why do I go the extra mile outside of work? Because on the face of it, a dude is given credit for just looking like a dude in tech. Even with these things, I just may be considered on par with a dude without them most of the time.
Not all places are sexist, not all upper leadership is sexist, but the places that aren’t are so few. […]
Fuck the whole tech business for telling Congress they cannot find talent so give them more H1-Bs. There are people like me out there and most of us are just not the ingenue anymore. I have to say, dudes are always surprised when, after forties, mid-forties, unless they are directors or VPs, they are not hot on the market anymore. It happens to dudes too, and often the most Libertarians of them are shocked when at fifty, they are laid off for just being old. It happened to a dude I know recently. That kind of thing they thought only happened to the unqualified or maybe whiny women or something […]
I do think it’s a load of crap when you see support for getting girls in tech, when there are women in tech. It’s the same crap – as long as you are entry level and no competition for jobs, then it’s okay. That is the case everywhere from Google to Etsy to most hip companies. Seriously, Etsy brags on bringing in da womenz to code. At entry level. Where older dudes can schoolz the womenz on being developers, women far away from threatening the dudes who have real power in their tech. Meanwhile, they had and have higher level jobs in tech that they claim they cannot get women to take – they interview and no woman they like will work for Etsy, so they HAVE to fill all with men. At some point, they just gave up (they wrote this to the public) and put effort into only entry level bringing the women in. I guess bringing them in at a higher level would be quite upsetting. Or just one into tech management. MMMM, how’s about hiring just ONE woman as a tech director from the outside or something, Etsy? Meanwhile they get pats on the back for having a caste system, essentially, institutionally put in place.
Ironically, it can be the older “conservative” businesses where it is less sexist and ageist. Ironically I tell you it’s many times the men older than 45 that have given me my best jobs – those chubby old graying dudes, not the biker, 10% body fat dudes. The hipsters, they are actually more sexist as a group. So you can take that as you will. –ReadyReady“
Matters Mathematical 