Software engineer Jen Heilemann reflects on the stark reality of women in tech, their scarce numbers, the sexism some of them are subjected to, and how to change it all.
Over the last few years, and particularly in the last few months, I’ve been doing lots of reading about women in tech, and particularly women in programming. The stories and numbers haven’t been particularly encouraging.
Female participation in Computer Science and particularly programming conferences is pitiful.
Over the last thirty years, the total number of women in scientific fields have grown dramatically, while the number of women in Computer Science hasn’t kept pace with the men. In 1987, 42% of software developers in the US were women, while today, that number hovers around 28%.
Depending on which conference you attend, the number of female participants can range between 25% and 2%, leading to the “Steve rule” (or the “Brian Rule” or the “Scott Rule”): there will be more attendees named Steve than total female attendees.
Women rarely participate in open source projects, a huge percentage less than are actually employed as programmers, with surveys ranging from 1.1% to possibly as much as 3-5%, depending on the community.
All these numbers point to one big question: why?
The answers and explanations are all over the map.
Some blame our culture and the social pressures put on children to conform to expectations, both from adults and their peers. I’ll put my own personal anecdote behind this idea, as I was homeschooled for elementary and middle school. As a girl, I never thought computer science or programming were a “man’s job,” my parents were encouraging, and I didn’t really care what my peers thought. I don’t know what the “gender roles” assigned by middle-school kids are like.
The differences between the roles our culture give to men and women certainly lead to discrepancies in the workplace. Women usually take more responsibility for childcare, leading to careers cut short and difficulty attending conferences or other events far from home. The way women approach their jobs can affect their career direction. This is a discussion that is far bigger than I can approach in this essay, but just note that these hurdles doesn’t stop women from being doctors, lawyers, architects, or biologists, at least not on the same scale. [pullquote]Until there’s total acceptance and never shock that a woman is a programmer or a girl is entering a programming contest or that female at the conference isn’t somebody’s girlfriend, it’s our responsibility to call out bad behavior and make sure treating women as equals is par for the course.[/pullquote]
Others point to endless stories of harassment, objectification, and just general ugliness towards women. And before you tell me that that stuff doesn’t happen, I’ll give some examples:
- The ridiculous comments section of Jollie O’Dell’s interview with Paul Querna on Venture Beat from 2011. And yes, commenting that the cute interviewer makes the boring video a bit better is sexist.
- Comments about being pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen. Yes, I work from home, and it happens that my desk is in the kitchen area, but that’s not funny.
- Lots of examples of women being ignored, dismissed, or harassed by men at supposedly “professional” events.
- Norin Shirley’s story of assault and reddit’s horrific response
- Objectifying comments from the most well-intentioned tech leaders and speakers.
- Shanley Kane was threatened with job loss for calling out a sexist video promoting Geeklist. (Geeklist eventually apologized, but it felt a lot like too little, too late.)
These stories are only the tip of the iceberg.
I’ve heard or read various responses to this topic from men, varying from the well-intentioned to the outright hostile:
- Maybe it’s one of those problems where it’ll go away if we just stop talking about it.
- Women just don’t like techy things.
- Men are more interested in programming as a hobby, while most women programmers think of it as their job – that’s why you don’t see as many at conferences.
- You’re probably right, but couldn’t you be overreacting a bit?
- The only people that can change this situation are women themselves. Go on, get off your @$# and do something if you don’t like it.
- It’s so great to meet a female programmer. There aren’t many of you. (You’re… welcome?)
Another way to approach the problem
The stories of harassment and ignorance aren’t going away tomorrow. We have to start paying attention to the little comments, the jabs, the jokes, and make sure it’s clear that they’re not okay. (When I say “we,” don’t think that I’m talking about a little group of femi-nazis. This is your job too.) Start noticing how the women around you are treated and talked about.
On the other hand, things are getting better – slowly. At the corporate level, companies are increasing the number of diversity programs, internships, and mentoring programs focused on women. The number of educational programs and scholarships for young women in computer science have grown dramatically (and some of them don’t even use pink in their advertising!). But the assumptions surrounding women in programming aren’t changing quickly enough.
You may think you’re not part of the problem. You’ve never harassed a coworker, you’ve never said anything off-color. I’m sorry to break it to you – because there’s a problem, you’re part of it. I’m part of it. Until there’s total acceptance and never shock that a woman is a programmer or a girl is entering a programming contest or that female at the conference isn’t somebody’s girlfriend, it’s our responsibility to call out bad behavior and make sure treating women as equals is par for the course.
Oh, you praised your female co-worker for her contribution to [insert major project here]? I’m sure she appreciated it.
What, should I give you a cookie?