Gender and Racial Inequality in the Tech Industry
Many people throughout life have to face challenges that others do not have to even consider on a daily basis. With this being said, while one person would argue that someone is privileged, another would say that they are disadvantaged. I have strongly considered this after reading, “Donglegate: Why The Tech Community Hates Feminists”, by Alice Marwick. The United State of America, as well as many other countries, have had a past involving gender inequality. This is certainly an issue that varies in severity around the world, but in the United States, an issue is still very present. Within many different industries, men dominate, but this issue has really been raised within the tech industry. The digital world as a whole seems to have some inequality concerns that need to be handled. An example that illustrates this issue directly involves Adria Richards and two gentlemen who decided that it was appropriate to make comments relating to things that are both suggestive and inappropriate at a tech conference. Adria tweeted, “Not cool. Jokes about forking repo’s in a sexual way and ‘big’ dongles. Right behind me #pycon”. She later tweeted her location, in hope that a staffer would handle her complaint appropriately. In the end, everyone involved in this situation later had to deal with some sort of a problem. This conflict illustrates the gender inequality that is present within the tech industry, as well as in the general work place and digital media. Why would men find it necessary or appropriate to make comments like that in a professional setting?
The publicity of this event led to the termination of both Adria and the man who made sexist comments. Many people will argue that this issue was handled poorly, but the issue itself is not the main concern here. The present problem highlights misogyny and the lack of diversity in the tech industry. After this incident occurred and the public became aware of what happened, Adria had to experience something that was totally inappropriate. Alice writes, “Regardless of the nuances of the incident, the fact remains that Richards faced a gargantuan backlash that included death threats, rape threats, a flood of racist and sexually violent speech, a DDOS attack on her employer — and a photoshopped picture of a naked, bound, decapitated woman. The use of mob justice to punish women who advocate feminist ideals is nothing new, but why does this happen so regularly when women criticize the tech industry? Just stating that the tech industry has a sexism problem — something that’s supported by reams of scholarly evidence — riles up the trolls.” With this being said, the conflict that occurred went from being an issue of respect, to one involving safety and reputation. I find it odd that we hear only about the threats toward Adria, but none relating to the man that caused all of this. I find myself wondering what is so wrong with people. I cannot even begin to understand why people would make such ridiculous threats towards a woman who was simply speaking up against inappropriate behavior. Not only did both of these people lose their jobs, but also Adria had to deal with threats that made her scared and worried for her own life. The male dominated tech industry already creates an unequal environment for minorities and women, so this situation simply adds more kindling to the fire. Certainly men argue that they have limitations and hardships, but it is very hard to understand this when considering the history of our country regarding inequality.
I am trying to understand why men and women have such conflict. Relating to this situation, I find that it could have been handled on a less severe scale. Certainly the men should not have said such things, but an apology would have been a good way to go about this. Rather than turning this issue into a major problem, I think it would’ve been more beneficial to talk about this individually with the people involved. For the sake of this issue entirely, it is both good and bad that this conflict became public to everyone on the Internet. Alice writes, “MRAs and feminists have completely different, often contradictory, worldviews. ’Lewis’s Law’ (coined by journalist Helen Lewis) holds that ‘the comments on any article about feminism justify feminism.’ So when we read such comments, we see lots of people arguing but not really engaging. They’re like two ships passing in the night, talking past each other: While feminists believe it’s important to call out people for sexist remarks to address structural gender inequality, another group believes calling out sexist remarks is just another example of women exaggerating harm, censoring reasonable behavior, demanding ‘special rights’ beyond what men have.” I found this to be very interesting. It seems that both groups are so quick to try and win an argument that they forget about solving the issue. Both of these groups can make an argument, but I feel that it would be most beneficial to work together to solve the problem. Past will tell us that women have been oppressed, so it is important to consider where they are coming from. Yes, groups of men will argue that they live with criticisms as well as hardships, but it is hard to compare the two. Before reading up on issues relating to inequality and gender, I was not aware of problems like this. As I become more informed, I can only hope that equality becomes the reality relating to both gender and race.
The tech industry can be compared to our countries past history of inequality. Racism and gender inequality have been present for a very long time and as time progresses, we can only hope to see change. Just as men dominated the business world, we see the tech industry under the same conditions. Alice writes, “Yet the myth of equality persists, since the technology industry considers itself a meritocracy where the ‘good’ ones — for example, talented engineers and programmers — will rise to the top regardless of nationality, background, race, or gender. When considering the dismal numbers of women (as well as African-American and Latino men) in tech, the meritocratic presumption is that these minorities aren’t good at or interested in technology; otherwise, there would be more of them. If we admit there are structural barriers to entry, and a culture that actively discourages women and men of color from participating, then it logically follows that technology is not a meritocracy. And this threatens many dearly held beliefs of technology workers: It suggests those at the top aren’t there because they’re the best, but because of hard work and privilege. It suggests that the enormous wealth generated by tech startups and founders isn’t justified by their superior intelligence. It requires change from a culture in which male normativity is, well, the norm — to a more inclusive one where penis jokes and booth babes are no longer acceptable (and the mere suggestion to discard them isn’t met with a hailstorm of protest).” This is very interesting to consider. If the workplace were entirely equal, we would see a very mixed group of people. Certainly population and location have to be considered, but the amount of diversity within the workplace would probably be quite different. Certainly jobs should be based solely off of qualifications, but in today’s environment, so much more goes into effect. I do not think that men are actively aware of how they are impacting the tech industry and overall workplace. If research were to be done by the men in executive tech positions, they would have a better understanding of this issue. The issue that occurred with Donglegate was only one instance that represents the entire problem at hand. Each and every little microagression that is said or written relates to the sexism and inequality that is present in the tech industry and digital world.
After reading Alice Marwick’s article titled, “Donglegate: Why the Tech Community Hates Feminists”, I am able to better understand the inequality that is present in the tech industry and even the overall digital world. This inequality applies to both gender and race, but this specific article can act as an illustration for the greater picture. Inequality is present and the men who control the workplace need to understand that the environment needs to be fairer. Alice writes, “Yet while all of these cases involved some sort of doxxing, they didn’t result in the same sort of laser-focused hate speech directed at Richards. It seems that’s reserved specifically for women who call out sexism. The misguided focus on whether or not Richards was in the right ignores the bigger picture, which reveals a well-documented pattern women in technology being shamed, doxxed, threatened, and harassed when they speak out publicly against sexism.” I can only agree with Alice’s writing relating to this issue. It is wrong to focus so much on the individual picture, but more so important to consider the overall message. I really haven’t been in the workplace throughout my years as a student, so it is hard to imagine what it is like. Now that I have become more informed on this issue, I can only see myself trying to work for a more equal future. Women in technology should not feel threatened or harassed, just as any human. It is actually very sad to hear that women and minorities have to deal with such conditions.
Liebelson, Dana, and Tasneem Raja. “Donglegate: How One Brogrammer’s Sexist Joke Led to Death Threats and Firings.” Mother Jones. N.p., 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 May 2016.
