Women in Technology

Article:		A Fifty Year Wave of Change
Subject:		Disappointed
Date:		2007-09-05 06:53:23
From:		shelleyp
I was very pleased to see that improvements have been made in the other areas of science, but am aware of how little has improved for women in technology. You acknowledge such, but then go on to basically state the party line. We have to make women be more interested. We have to show women in these roles. Women have to do such... Women must... There is little about altering the field to attract not only more women, but a more diverse population; a diverse population that can only improve the technologies and products resulting from the technologies. I'm particularly disappointed with the following paragraph: " However, being perceived as too aggressive for a key position is common for women in technology, though it would seldom block a male candidate. Most women in the early stages of technical careers have found some level of aggressiveness is necessary to survive and succeed. Every woman who I know in technology has experienced the following phenomenon many times: you are the only woman in a meeting and you make a suggestion. No one reacts. A few minutes later, a man suggests the same idea and everyone gets excited about what a great idea it is. While there are techniques for handling this phenomenon gracefully (e.g., ask a male friend attending the meeting to repeat your idea while acknowledging it as your idea), it's not surprising that successful technical women tend to speak strongly and defend their ideas. Most women who reach top positions in technology have had to learn how to soften their personality so as not to be seen as overly intimidating or polarizing. And, yes, being quieter and gentler is something I work on all the time." Why on earth must we 'lie' and pretend to this warm and nurturing role, just to get the respect we deserve? We should be angry! We should be shouting from the mountaintops! At a minimum, we should be pointing out such hypocrisy every chance we get, as a unified whole; repeating such until we are heard. I cannot believe you are promoting a stereotypical feminist behavior in order for women to 'get by'. I can't believe that you're letting your more vocal sisters down.

Showing messages 1 through 4 of 4.

• Disappointed
  2007-09-09 10:30:48  webmaven [View]
  
  
  ObNitPick: in the last para, I think you meant 'feminine' instead of 'feminist'.

• Disappointed
  2007-09-06 15:57:13  MariaKlawe [View]
  
  
  I appreciate the comments you made. It seems my essay wasn't clear enough about how I feel about the situation that women in technology face. I completely agree with you we need to change things about computer science to make it attractive to more diverse populations, rather than change the people (females, African Americans, etc.) who are currently not attracted to studying or working in computing. And I agree with your point that more diversity yields much better results whether it's in learning environments or product design and development.
  
  Like you and many others I am angry that women in leadership roles are treated differently than men are. As someone who is naturally vocal and aggressive about my ideas it has often annoyed me that I'm criticized for behaviors that males use all the time. On the other hand, I have gradually realized that learning to be a better listener has made me a more effective leader and manager. In the paragraph that disappointed you so much, I was trying to describe the current state of reality and make the point that women still face much unfairness. It was provided as example to illustrate my earlier claim that not everything is rosy for women in technology.

• Disappointed
  2007-09-05 11:54:16  lauras [View]
  
  
  I by no means consider myself as particularly insightful or having all the answers for this kind of challenge, and I agree with your comment to some extent, but when you write:
  
  "We should be shouting from the mountaintops! At a minimum, we should be pointing out such hypocrisy every chance we get, as a unified whole; repeating such until we are heard."
  
  ...I'm left wondering "to whom"? Shouting at whom? Pointing out hypocrisy to whom?
  
  The missing element in this discussion, to me, seems to be management. Management sets the tone. Management establishes the company values. When women are ignored or have men parachuted in to take over their projects, that's not on men as a gender -- it's on management. And maybe I'm just too cynical on this point, but if management already isn't listening, then is shouting going to do any good?
  
  Being aggressive, developing a thick skin, standing up when you're disrespected -- these are the kinds of things that are needed in life to some degree, but all the more so in tech, it seems -- especially in the corporate world. And yet who's fault is that? I say it's management's. And not just male managers, because women managers can be just as culpable.
  
  And yet there's that cliche that holds so much truth: Be careful whom you choose to be your enemy, for you will become (him). Is a frontal assault against management values in the corporate tech world really the best approach? Maybe.
  
  What I like about this article is that it is more about the kinds of gradual change that happens when the entire culture changes, when the management culture changes. That's where the problematic attitudes breed, isn't it?
  
  Being a Buddhist in spirit and one who tries to follow the Dharma, my job is on what I can do, not what others must do. (At least that's the ideal.) Leading by example. Doing it my way as a way to show others. And yes, even starting a company, a company that embodies these values and succeeds because of them -- these are things that I feel do make a difference.
  
  It's not revolutionary. It's not going to change things overnight. But I feel that in some way it's just inevitable. Things will change because the tide is against the status quo.
  
  (FWIW, I'm not pollyanna when it comes to enrollment figures in schools. I've been reading your blog for some years now, Shelley, and your thoughts on the problems with CS education are spot-on, imho. I look forward to your posting this month!)

• Re: Disappointed
  2007-09-05 07:48:01  cwade [View]
  
  
  "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" -- American Proverb
  
  It's a temporary situation we're in today. Not to become a sloganeer, but "It's always darkest before the dawn" -- I don't think any one of us wants to tone down the delivery so closely connected to the feelings of near-violation and scandal that accompanies having the rug pulled from under us so many times. But to be truthful, gender aside, it's really difficult to tolerate opinions when they're being shoved down one's throat in a vitriolic fashion, no matter who we are.
  
  It just so happens that the status quo has it that men are regarded less as blowhards, and more as assertive, when exhibiting this behavior. And likewise, women are slandered and maligned more openly for that behavior, than they are rewarded, even though I'm sure many individuals of both genders silently loathe a male blowhard as much as publicly slander a female one.
  
  But I'll repeat it again, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," a scientifically proven hypothesis that, I think, can be a fitting analogy for our present social situation as women in technology. Not to mention, I feel pretty strongly (and personally) that, as a passionately opining human being, I usually benefit from dialing back my delivery somewhat, since it seems to inject a level of clarity and focus to an argument. Detachment, as a personal style, has worked tremendously for me as I've worked on it.
  
  -- Carol Wade