Live data from Hacker News

Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

news.ycombinator.com

71–80 of 112 posts

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#71
Wasalaam ukhti, from the other side of the fence. I'm in Israel, and would love to learn more, and see how I can help from here. It could be one of our small steps that helps move the needle on peace!

I'd like to introduce you to some friends in North America who will be very interested. Please check out my profile for an e-mail, and let's talk.

Shukraan habibti!

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#72
Great initiative Laila!

Interesting that the proportion of female CS students is so high in those countries, I imagine it's more like 10% in most Western countries. Based on you inside perspective, do you have any theories about why this is so?

Anecdotally, I've worked for a lot of startups in Scandinavia, and one in Jordan, and that one had the most women!

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#73
post #72

Great initiative Laila! Interesting that the proportion of female CS students is so high in those countries, I imagine it's more like 10% in most Western countries. Based on you inside perspective, do you have any theories about why this is so? Anecdotally, I've worked for a lot of startups in Scandinavia, and one in Jordan, and that one had the most women!

I've seen reasoning elsewhere along the following lines:

Because there is a stronger economic incentive in Middle Eastern countries compared to western countries, more women go into STEM fields.

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#74
post #57

It seems like there is correlation between patriarchal societies and having more women developers. I wonder why, maybe because anyway the society is patriarchal so there is not much difference between this field to others unlike in the west where all misogynist white males concentrate in this profession and all the good guys go to law or acting or wherever there are many women and everything is equal and rosy. But th…

Hi! What other societies have you seen with a high percentage of women developers?

From my experience, the ex Eastern Bloc countries. I am speaking about all the STEM fields, not just SWE. I remember that my mom (Romanian) was shocked when I told her that in my CS high school class (in Italy) we were all boys.

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Regarding payments, this has been coming up and we’ll need to pick your brain as we develop solutions. My contact information is in my profile. I'll forward to some people I know who had several problems with that. The last one I talked with worked with a company in the U.K. with the restriction the "worker" had to have a bank account in their country of residence, not in any other country. Explanations on exchange…

> What I also meant by payment problems is the disparity between the conversion rates in banks and on the streets. This is also a problem where I live (Nigeria). It's exhausting explaining black/parallel currency markets to clients/employers in countries with more stable currencies. Way too often I get the knee-jerk reaction that I'm doing something shady/illegal.

Hi @filleduchaos, a Nigerian here, pls, if you don't mind could give few pointers on how you scored your first few foreign jobs. I've sent out so many resumes and cold emails, I have as many rejection letters to prove so. I know there's sth I'm not doing well. Currently studying all sorts of Algo books. Thank you

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#77

It seems like there is correlation between patriarchal societies and having more women developers. I wonder why, maybe because anyway the society is patriarchal so there is not much difference between this field to others unlike in the west where all misogynist white males concentrate in this profession and all the good guys go to law or acting or wherever there are many women and everything is equal and rosy. But th…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-equality_paradox

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#78
post #72

Great initiative Laila! Interesting that the proportion of female CS students is so high in those countries, I imagine it's more like 10% in most Western countries. Based on you inside perspective, do you have any theories about why this is so? Anecdotally, I've worked for a lot of startups in Scandinavia, and one in Jordan, and that one had the most women!

It's the gender-equality paradox. Look it up.

Anecdotally, I am Muslim and I notice that Muslims who grow up in the West have this pattern. If they are very Westernized in morality and thinking, then they are less likely to work in STEM fields. If they are religious they are almost 100% likely to work in STEM fields. I think religious Muslims get their source of ultimate truth from somewhere other than humanities and philosophy so they aren't drawn to them in college and thus they all funnel into STEM.

Women in the US are probably drawn to humanities and men probably drawn out of them in college (where feminist/sexuality lens is high in humanities), which could possibly lead to STEM being highly male.

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#79
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least in Italy everyone would just think of the illustrator.

Oh man that's too bad! We have one partner in Italy so far (Bending Spoons) and they didn't mention this to us though... maybe that's a good sign, or maybe they were too embarrassed!

It has to be said Milo Manara is a boomer and his popularity somewhat declined in the 2000s. Nowadays even people who are familiar with his mainstream output (from ads to cartoons made with Adriano Celentano) don't necessarily know his name or the fact that he became famous with erotic comics in late-70s/mid-80s. I would not expect anybody under 30 to be familiar with his name.

Re: Launch HN: Manara (YC W21) – Connect Middle East engineers with global companies

#80
post #72

Great initiative Laila! Interesting that the proportion of female CS students is so high in those countries, I imagine it's more like 10% in most Western countries. Based on you inside perspective, do you have any theories about why this is so? Anecdotally, I've worked for a lot of startups in Scandinavia, and one in Jordan, and that one had the most women!

I've seen reasoning elsewhere along the following lines: Because there is a stronger economic incentive in Middle Eastern countries compared to western countries, more women go into STEM fields.

Could it also be that there is still a bit of a stigma in male circles, for that type of work? Traditional male stereotypes in the Middle East are still very, very well-entrenched; sitting at your desk "playing" with computers is probably not respected as much as elsewhere.
Post reply on HN