An open letter to Laura Kalbag, a woman who wants to be a token speaker. • Hacker News Board

Re: An open letter to Laura Kalbag, a woman who wants to be a token speaker.

#21

Post by Peroni » Thu, Jan 24, 2013, 7:40 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #18

cantastoria wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

females being often underrepresented in tech conferences due to rampant sexism But females aren't underrepresented due to rampant sexism, there are fewer women at tech conferences because there are fewer women in tech period. Creating a preference/quota system (i.e. affirmative action) that tries to correct a imbalance due to lack of participation will only serve to further stigmatize and reinforce whatever negative…

> But females aren't underrepresented due to rampant sexism, there are fewer women at tech conferences because there are fewer women in tech period. Do you not think that there are fewer women in tech because of rampant sexism?

I've heard this argument many times before yet I've never once seen a shred of evidence to back it up. I'm not sure of the situation in the US but despite dealing with hundreds of UK tech companies and conferences in my career, I can categorically state I've never once witnessed anything that could be construed as sexism.

Re: An open letter to Laura Kalbag, a woman who wants to be a token speaker.

#22

Post by jpdoctor » Thu, Jan 24, 2013, 7:40 PM UTC

Xylakant wrote: post #16

jpdoctor wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I really miss the days when discussion about conferences was more about technology and content It's time to face the fact that conferences are becoming antiquated by technology. EDIT: Judging by the replies, apparently people think conferences are local get-togethers? The point of a conference used to be about exchanging ideas with people outside the neighborhood. It would roll in airline, hotel, $100s for attenden…

So if I go to the euroko 2012 in Berlin, pay 50 euros and no hotel, airline etc. and get to see speakers and attendees from all over the world, including Yukihiro Matsumoto for the keynote, that doesn't count as a conference because it's local and organized by a crew of volunteers that don't need to reek in hefty profits?

> and attendees from all over the world

So you can choose to quote your 50 euros and say that it's a conference, or you can examine how much money the "attendees from all over the world" paid in travel and hotel paid in and note that their money is now being substituted by the web.

Your call.

Re: An open letter to Laura Kalbag, a woman who wants to be a token speaker.

#23

Post by DanBC » Thu, Jan 24, 2013, 11:00 PM UTC

Peroni wrote: post #21

DanBC wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But females aren't underrepresented due to rampant sexism, there are fewer women at tech conferences because there are fewer women in tech period. Do you not think that there are fewer women in tech because of rampant sexism?

I've heard this argument many times before yet I've never once seen a shred of evidence to back it up. I'm not sure of the situation in the US but despite dealing with hundreds of UK tech companies and conferences in my career, I can categorically state I've never once witnessed anything that could be construed as sexism.

That's good.

Do you get to see unconscious[1] biases that cause women not to be hired; to be paid less than men for the same work; to be not promoted?

[1] At best.

Re: An open letter to Laura Kalbag, a woman who wants to be a token speaker.

#24

Post by Peroni » Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 1:32 AM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #23

Peroni wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this argument many times before yet I've never once seen a shred of evidence to back it up. I'm not sure of the situation in the US but despite dealing with hundreds of UK tech companies and conferences in my career, I can categorically state I've never once witnessed anything that could be construed as sexism.

That's good. Do you get to see unconscious[1] biases that cause women not to be hired; to be paid less than men for the same work; to be not promoted? [1] At best.

The direct opposite. In the UK tech market there is almost a desperation to hire female staff. The handful of female devs I've come across are generally paid more than what a male with the same level of experience would purely because companies are desperate to cling on to the precious few females that exist in the market.

In my time I've advertised over a hundred dev vacancies. I can honestly count on one hand the number of female applicants that applied.