21–30 of 174 posts
Second, the guy who said "well I should have applied for that" might have said it because two people in a row standing right in front of him just said they had awesome internships at Facebook. Sure, he could have been a total prick and said it because she was a girl, but the fact that the 2 people he asked both said they interned at Facebook completely changes the context of the conversation. If he only asked the girl and responded that way, then that would be different - and that seems to be how she's thinking about it. She's not taking into account the actual context of the conversation.
Wearing colorful, comfortable dresses sounds awesome. Yeah, I like tech T-shirts, and the latter was definitely the more common form of attire at the startup I interned at this past summer, but if someone wore a dress one day, I don't think it would be unusual for that person's manager to say "you look nice today" or "your outfit looks fun."
And regarding the interview, it makes sense that you'll get "better results" by dressing like a techie. There are tons of girls who dress like techies. Wearing a T-shirt with a tech logo on it just sends the message that you love technology. It shouldn't be an important factor in an interview, but of course the way you dress sends a particular message. Wearing a dress doesn't send a negative message in any way, but a girl wearing a tech T-shirt comes across as someone who is super into tech - for the same reason a guy wearing a tech T-shirt looks more into tech than someone who wears a business suit to an interview. The T-shirt could be completely misrepresenting that person's interest in tech, but the point is it sends a particular message during an interview.
I hate to conclude on such a sour note, but the girl the article is speaking about seems to think everyone is against her. It is absolutely possible that this girl experiences discrimination in the tech industry due to her gender, but the examples she talked about simply don't demonstrate that in a definitive way.
Yup, sounds like standard fare. I would have been impressed if she'd documented and reported this shitty behaviour. Then again Confrontation is difficult, no matter the context.
Here are a few patterns I've observed:
pattern (a) MAN: does shitty thing; WOMAN: hey please stop; WOMAN's performance review: "has conflicts with MAN"
pattern (b) MAN: does shitty thing; WOMAN: reports shitty thing; MANAGER: oh MAN is a nice guy, why don't you try working it out yourself
pattern (c) MAN: does shitty thing; WOMAN: does nothing because she actually reports to MAN
Well she writes like a junior because she is. But the main points she makes - subtle sexism regarding capability in the face of equivalent effort - are certainly observable and do ring true. When I see articles like this (and the issue of sexism in computing does pop up quite often) I usually agree. It is there. But what can be done? I myself have been a disgusting example of a male engineer at times. And as much as…
are sexism and sexual harassment the same things? To me it sounded like she listed examples of both. I mean like the stranger in the night isn't exactly "sexism in tech", it is more like industry unrelated harassment bordering on assault. I'd venture to guess that such harassment/assault is even less probable from a college educated tech workers than from other demographic groups.
Sexism is pervasive. Sexual Harassment is generally goaded on by permissive environments, especially those that are largely male. The "Stranger in the Night" comment is definitely harassment, but it is not hard to see how its occurrence is relevant to the larger issue.
my point is that it is really hard to see. How thinking that somebody is less capable as a programmer (or auto mechanic, TV announcer, whatever...) relevant to actual stalking/harassment/assault.
Did she really use the word 'sausagefest'? Ouch. That noise was credibility slamming the door on the way out.
Yes... the rest of her argument is moot because of the use of one word. That's really all it takes to ruin her credibility and ignore what she says. Either you are incredibly stupid or incredibly sexist... my guess is both.
First of all, calling a group of guys a sausage fest is reverse sexism. If I called a classroom full of girls a barbie play-date, or a tea party, or a "fashion" class - regardless of the real reason for their gathering, people would be outraged - and rightfully so. None of those things are true and it's disrespectful to say something like that. Second, the guy who said "well I should have applied for that" might have…
Most of these incidents just sound like guys who were genuinely trying to be nice or funny, but because anything can be seen through the lens of sexism, this woman took the opportunity to consider herself oppressed.
You see two or three examples of comments in the article, and feel comfortable dismissing her point entirely as a result. But of course a written article has only room for two or three examples.
She wouldn't have written it if there weren't an absolute nonstop stream of this sort of crap over the course of years. A point she made abundantly clear, and an experience that would be oppressive to anyone.
(Not to mention the numerous things that can't possibly be read as "nice or funny", like having all your contributions ignored in favor of equivalent contributions from men. That makes me wonder if you actually read most of the article, or just skimmed and cherry picked a couple things that left you feeling justified in dismissing her.)
When you learn to listen to people who are struggling instead of dismissing them, your life will be better. I promise.
First of all, calling a group of guys a sausage fest is reverse sexism. If I called a classroom full of girls a barbie play-date, or a tea party, or a "fashion" class - regardless of the real reason for their gathering, people would be outraged - and rightfully so. None of those things are true and it's disrespectful to say something like that. Second, the guy who said "well I should have applied for that" might have…