My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India • Hacker News Board

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#11

Post by DanBC » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:09 AM UTC

dijit wrote: post #8

g960 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you read the (sarcasm) at the end. I find it ironic that while you shower self-pity when it comes to the US but paint India black anyway. India infact has a lower crime rate against women than the US (even after accounting for differences in reporting rates). Delhi comes out being "safer" than D.C; South India is apparently much safer (author appears to be from Chennai?). I'm given to believe that thi…

I'm not American. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported. I imagine if you get raped by your uncle, and so does your friend, and your friend has reported it before and nothing happened- you'd be dissuaded from reporting it too. but I digress. I don't have a particularly obje…

> I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported.

Britain uses two types of crime statistics. There are officially reported crime statistics and there is the "crime survey" which polls people to find out whether they've been a victim of crime.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#12

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:11 AM UTC

g960 wrote: post #10

dijit wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not American. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported. I imagine if you get raped by your uncle, and so does your friend, and your friend has reported it before and nothing happened- you'd be dissuaded from reporting it too. but I digress. I don't have a particularly obje…

I come from a city in Britain Britain has a higher rate than the US. My argument still holds. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. Given nominal reporting rates of 50% for D.C (which is being far too kind), and 10% (which is far too harsh) for Delhi, still leaves it twice as safe (and thrice as safe as London). It takes an hour to dig up the data online. > I can o…

[deleted]

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#13

Post by g960 » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:13 AM UTC

known wrote: post #6

g960 wrote: post #3

Are you telling me that you aren't molested in your workplace everyday ? I was made to believe that all Indians are bred as little monsters in the cauldron of a rampant "rape culture". I'm completely confused having read this post, esp after a similar one on the US appeared last on HN, https://medium.com/@katylevinson/sexism-in-tech-don-t-ask-me... See, it's even on Broadway! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/theater…

http://www.firstpost.com/living/india-a-civilisation-of-rapi...

Breed lots of self-hating hindus and that's what you get.

And it is Hindus.

I don't see pedophilia and Nun-rapes in the Indian church being so loudly talked about by the Indian Christian community.

Perhaps Hindus should just convert to Chritianity en masse and join the global brotherhood already. Their desperation to please us folk in the West is very endearing.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#14

Post by brador » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:24 AM UTC

dijit wrote: post #8

g960 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if you read the (sarcasm) at the end. I find it ironic that while you shower self-pity when it comes to the US but paint India black anyway. India infact has a lower crime rate against women than the US (even after accounting for differences in reporting rates). Delhi comes out being "safer" than D.C; South India is apparently much safer (author appears to be from Chennai?). I'm given to believe that thi…

I'm not American. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported. I imagine if you get raped by your uncle, and so does your friend, and your friend has reported it before and nothing happened- you'd be dissuaded from reporting it too. but I digress. I don't have a particularly obje…

Which city in Britain has a strong crime culture? London?

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#15

Post by firasd » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:26 AM UTC

As the author points out, the path into tech in India is seen as a lot more broadly applicable; it's a pathway into middle-class job like being a doctor. It's also a good base on which you can move overseas to work in the Middle East or Western countries.

An interesting point she brings up is that gender bias in how one looks at STEM subjects is not universal. In many countries there isn't a prevalent idea that girls won't do well in math or programming classes. This helps with the "pipeline" problem because you end up with more educated women with expertise in these subjects.

As someone who's lived both the US and India I also think one shouldn't consider Hacker News or tech blogs as particularly representative of the US software industry either. Narratives of conflict make for juicy reading, whether on Twitter or in the mainstream media but they are not holistic representations of how it is to live in a country or work in an industry.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#16

Post by prapam2 » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:31 AM UTC

dijit wrote: post #5

g960 wrote: post #3

Are you telling me that you aren't molested in your workplace everyday ? I was made to believe that all Indians are bred as little monsters in the cauldron of a rampant "rape culture". I'm completely confused having read this post, esp after a similar one on the US appeared last on HN, https://medium.com/@katylevinson/sexism-in-tech-don-t-ask-me... See, it's even on Broadway! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/theater…

I have an unpopular opinion on the types of people who keep harping on about sexism in tech. And I'm not in a position to say it doesn't exist- (being a white guy and full of privilege), however it does seem that a lot of girls in tech are making a career of painting all other engineers as being inherently misogynistic, vacuous or malicious. I mean, I don't believe we should put barriers up for women who want to be i…

I cannot reply for whole of India but from where i come(Karnataka) girls usually do very well in exams be it Math or Science. I didn't know the notion that women do not do well in STEM fields until i was exposed to western media. Now whether they can pursue it further is a different topic.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#17

Post by hiroproto » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:33 AM UTC

g960 wrote: post #3

Are you telling me that you aren't molested in your workplace everyday ? I was made to believe that all Indians are bred as little monsters in the cauldron of a rampant "rape culture". I'm completely confused having read this post, esp after a similar one on the US appeared last on HN, https://medium.com/@katylevinson/sexism-in-tech-don-t-ask-me... See, it's even on Broadway! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/theater…

Wow, so one anecdote nullifies everything that happens in the country? Are you blind or deaf ? So you're saying sexism in India is less than that in USA ? I don't see women in USA fearing quitting their jobs if they earn more than husbands. Nor are they forced to stay at home to cook/housework essentially killing their dreams of having a career. Step out of your bubble buddy and ask the women around you what they feel when they travel on our public transport, then ask some people who traveled on public transport abroad.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#18

Post by richmarr » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:33 AM UTC

dijit wrote: post #5

g960 wrote: post #3

Are you telling me that you aren't molested in your workplace everyday ? I was made to believe that all Indians are bred as little monsters in the cauldron of a rampant "rape culture". I'm completely confused having read this post, esp after a similar one on the US appeared last on HN, https://medium.com/@katylevinson/sexism-in-tech-don-t-ask-me... See, it's even on Broadway! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/theater…

I have an unpopular opinion on the types of people who keep harping on about sexism in tech. And I'm not in a position to say it doesn't exist- (being a white guy and full of privilege), however it does seem that a lot of girls in tech are making a career of painting all other engineers as being inherently misogynistic, vacuous or malicious. I mean, I don't believe we should put barriers up for women who want to be i…

> ...it does seem that a lot of girls in tech are making a career of painting > all other engineers as being inherently misogynistic, vacuous or malicious.

Be very wary of hyperbole on topics like this. It's deeply divisive. If you can't make your point without exaggerating then maybe rethink?

> I think it's very popular to be a social justice kind of person...

So you're saying that people are promoting an equitable tech industry because they think it's cool?

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#19

Post by hiroproto » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:38 AM UTC

g960 wrote: post #10

dijit wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not American. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported. I imagine if you get raped by your uncle, and so does your friend, and your friend has reported it before and nothing happened- you'd be dissuaded from reporting it too. but I digress. I don't have a particularly obje…

I come from a city in Britain Britain has a higher rate than the US. My argument still holds. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. Given nominal reporting rates of 50% for D.C (which is being far too kind), and 10% (which is far too harsh) for Delhi, still leaves it twice as safe (and thrice as safe as London). It takes an hour to dig up the data online. > I can o…

What are the sources for your numbers ? You seem to think that 10% is harsh, whereas you couldn't be more wrong.

Re: My Experience in Tech and Its Reflection on Women in Tech in India

#20

Post by dijit » Thu, May 28, 2015, 9:38 AM UTC

brador wrote: post #14

dijit wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not American. Actually, my experience with crime rates is that where crime is common it goes unreported. I come from a city in Britain which has a very strong crime culture, but it's never reported. I imagine if you get raped by your uncle, and so does your friend, and your friend has reported it before and nothing happened- you'd be dissuaded from reporting it too. but I digress. I don't have a particularly obje…

Which city in Britain has a strong crime culture? London?

Coventry.. it was industrious once.

Now it's very crime-addled. However almost all of it goes unreported.

it's only after leaving a culture like that you realise it's so strange.

Edit: Hm, I got downvoted. Lets see if I can break down a summary of my life for people who don't think Coventry is bad (news articles in google seem to say it's not bad anymore).

but, stats: I've been mugged 17 times in 20 years, my home has been burgularised 4 times. 26 bikes have been stolen (locked and chained), I've been stabbed, I've been beaten in the streets by gangs of men. I've been threatened with peeling (by asian boys in school).

Coventry is not safe, the city center is made safe by excessive policing, but "Hillfields" (drug and prostitute capital of the midlands at least) and "Wood End" (which isn't even POLICED anymore because it's so dangerous) make coventry an unsafe place to be if not just visiting.

most people mind their own business, but if you look like you have money, those people are pirahna.

Also, we hold the world record for fastest time to strip a car of it's interior if left unlocked. (or we did when I last checked).

I'm not saying there isn't worse places in the world.. the government has done a _lot_ to reinvest in coventry. But it's a very dangerous place to live.