Why Tech Already Has Women (And Why They’re Better Than Arrington)

I have to say I get where Violet is coming from on this, and I think Jenna would agree. Those of us who have been working in tech for years are tired of listening to the whining. It doesn't do any good.

What we do need is for women to stand up and ASK for better roles, speaking gigs and a place at the table. For whatever reason that's not what happens and until it does we are stuck here.

I posted about this in August last year ( http://janetfouts.com/women-social-media/ )and although there have been efforts made on several levels to increase the number of women speaking it still falls on the women themselves to step up.

All that said, I for one appreciate the open support of both of you, thanks for the post and the discussion.

On Danny Boy, I love ya.

I don't work in the tech field but am interested in women's issues and had read Arrington's post. His post made me read the original post that sparked his writing and I didn't see it blaming men for difficulties women have in the tech field; it just seemed to me to be asking for support by men. So I was going to make that comment on Arrington's post but never did because I read the prior comments - there was some ugly vitriol. It was primarily by men, but there were a couple of women who engaged in an ugly manner with the men. Two things I thought:
1. I'm not commenting here.
2. There are some men who are REALLY angry with & even hate women. I hoped that they did not represent the norm.

So thanks again for your post and for being direct and polite. Cherry

women nowadays are adopting the technology and many of them can also contributes towards business, they also want to prove that gender is not a hindrance.

Danny and Geoff, thank you for the bold, honest post and foster an intelligent dialogue about the issue. I believe we need to acknowledge & support the great advancements in tech and give props to the many talented & visionary women who are helping to fuel the growth & innovation you mentioned. Their successes are good for all of us.

Sadly, there does exist a sort of 'boys club' who seem to prefer their own voices and camaraderie (but we can't let that deter nor distract). Thankfully, there are men & women who all of this is a non-issue and amazing work can be done in those collaborations. If we've learned nothing else, things shift quickly in tech and none of us can afford to be myopic in viewpt. Thanks for recognizing all the female tech entrepreneurs blazing trails and continuing to see the goal (not the obstacles).

This is a great post, Danny, complete with tons of research and references. It makes me happy to see someone stand up and objectively talk about the milestones we're hitting in the quest for gender equality rather than just adding to a list of "me too" posts about why it's important.

I did want to probe further on your statement of avoiding "reverting to past bad practices like conferences for men." Why is a conference for men such a bad thing?

Regardless of industry, we often tend to automatically equate the male gender with misogeny, essentially demonizing all men in the process of achieving equality for women. We don't have the constructive conversations about what we as men can do to advance our own gender because it's viewed as a zero sum game. Advancing men means oppressing women.

But this is a false logic. Just as it is important for women to examine and address classic issues like the glass ceiling, we men should be gathering and asking ourselves why women out-pace us in social media usage, college enrollment and graduation rates.

Men gathering with this intent in mind would be a positive and beneficial addition to the gender equality cause. Only in fully exploring our respective genders can we come together and create a world that embraces both.

Bravo Gents,

This whole notion has really taken center stage of late, with the mass sharing of Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html) last week.

With conferences, I would love to see some new blood and perhaps do a blind submission. Where the concept was what the talk was based on, not the social credentials, company or gender involved. I think that there are tons of smart folks who do not get there say across industries because they are lacking some sort of real or perceived clout.

Calling attention to the glass ceiling does not change the problem, it only sheds more light on it without offering a fix.

I don't have the exact means to fix it but think that we should start looking at things more broad based (no pun intended) with a universal outlook for a greater benefit all around.

Think about the past three conferences or networking events you attended. Who made the most memorable impact?

For me, the best conversations and biggest takeaways have been from super smart women and would place a bet that you have had a similar experience.

Thank you Danny and Geoff! On a much smaller scale I have been doing many posts via twitter and comments on blogs talking about this very subject. More locally than anything. Ever since having a daughter the world seems much different in my perspective which is a good thing!

This is probably one of the most important point "If you are a man and you don’t like these types of actions against women — posts, magazine articles, speaking rosters — say something!" Woman will need fellas in our crusade for human being equality. Men can be really good blockers & tacklers when need be!

And according to the first set of bullet points you lay out....isn't common sense that we all move forward with woman at the helm or at least as equals in the journey!

Can I comment late? Well Griddy had this in her posts of the week. And I saw a dash of this on David Spinks blog. I am not in Tech. But I came from high science. I used to work on Rocket, Missile, Automotive, Medical high technology programs where very few women worked. Its why I left and came to Advertising. My first meeting at a big media buying agency in NYC was mostly women. And one even had a whole arm tattooed in a sleeve. I was stoked! But tech....there is male arrogance. and it is a shame. 3 of 5 PhDs in the US go to women now. They will take over. But people in power aka Male oppression of women will take a long time to be over come.

As for Arrington? Michael Arrington is a big phat cry baby. I have no respect for him. I base this on his writings. He cries. He whines. So a man who has no self confidence, is catty and way too much vanity of course is not going to be a proper evolved human when it comes to women in tech.

The instant I saw this blog post title, I thought of Katie Stanton's Twitter list of women in tech: http://twitter.com/#!/KatieS/womenintech

The women of that list prove the power of women and the amazing stuff they do.

I have to say I get where Violet is coming from on this, and I think Jenna would agree. Those of us who have been working in tech for years are tired of listening to the whining. It doesn't do any good.

What we do need is for women to stand up and ASK for better roles, speaking gigs and a place at the table. For whatever reason that's not what happens and until it does we are stuck here.

I posted about this in August last year ( http://janetfouts.com/women-social-media/ )and although there have been efforts made on several levels to increase the number of women speaking it still falls on the women themselves to step up.

All that said, I for one appreciate the open support of both of you, thanks for the post and the discussion.

On Danny Boy, I love ya.

I don't work in the tech field but am interested in women's issues and had read Arrington's post. His post made me read the original post that sparked his writing and I didn't see it blaming men for difficulties women have in the tech field; it just seemed to me to be asking for support by men. So I was going to make that comment on Arrington's post but never did because I read the prior comments - there was some ugly vitriol. It was primarily by men, but there were a couple of women who engaged in an ugly manner with the men. Two things I thought:
1. I'm not commenting here.
2. There are some men who are REALLY angry with & even hate women. I hoped that they did not represent the norm.

So thanks again for your post and for being direct and polite. Cherry

women nowadays are adopting the technology and many of them can also contributes towards business, they also want to prove that gender is not a hindrance.

Danny and Geoff, thank you for the bold, honest post and foster an intelligent dialogue about the issue. I believe we need to acknowledge & support the great advancements in tech and give props to the many talented & visionary women who are helping to fuel the growth & innovation you mentioned. Their successes are good for all of us.

Sadly, there does exist a sort of 'boys club' who seem to prefer their own voices and camaraderie (but we can't let that deter nor distract). Thankfully, there are men & women who all of this is a non-issue and amazing work can be done in those collaborations. If we've learned nothing else, things shift quickly in tech and none of us can afford to be myopic in viewpt. Thanks for recognizing all the female tech entrepreneurs blazing trails and continuing to see the goal (not the obstacles).

This is a great post, Danny, complete with tons of research and references. It makes me happy to see someone stand up and objectively talk about the milestones we're hitting in the quest for gender equality rather than just adding to a list of "me too" posts about why it's important.

I did want to probe further on your statement of avoiding "reverting to past bad practices like conferences for men." Why is a conference for men such a bad thing?

Regardless of industry, we often tend to automatically equate the male gender with misogeny, essentially demonizing all men in the process of achieving equality for women. We don't have the constructive conversations about what we as men can do to advance our own gender because it's viewed as a zero sum game. Advancing men means oppressing women.

But this is a false logic. Just as it is important for women to examine and address classic issues like the glass ceiling, we men should be gathering and asking ourselves why women out-pace us in social media usage, college enrollment and graduation rates.

Men gathering with this intent in mind would be a positive and beneficial addition to the gender equality cause. Only in fully exploring our respective genders can we come together and create a world that embraces both.

Bravo Gents,

This whole notion has really taken center stage of late, with the mass sharing of Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html) last week.

With conferences, I would love to see some new blood and perhaps do a blind submission. Where the concept was what the talk was based on, not the social credentials, company or gender involved. I think that there are tons of smart folks who do not get there say across industries because they are lacking some sort of real or perceived clout.

Calling attention to the glass ceiling does not change the problem, it only sheds more light on it without offering a fix.

I don't have the exact means to fix it but think that we should start looking at things more broad based (no pun intended) with a universal outlook for a greater benefit all around.

Think about the past three conferences or networking events you attended. Who made the most memorable impact?

For me, the best conversations and biggest takeaways have been from super smart women and would place a bet that you have had a similar experience.

Thank you Danny and Geoff! On a much smaller scale I have been doing many posts via twitter and comments on blogs talking about this very subject. More locally than anything. Ever since having a daughter the world seems much different in my perspective which is a good thing!

This is probably one of the most important point "If you are a man and you don’t like these types of actions against women — posts, magazine articles, speaking rosters — say something!" Woman will need fellas in our crusade for human being equality. Men can be really good blockers & tacklers when need be!

And according to the first set of bullet points you lay out....isn't common sense that we all move forward with woman at the helm or at least as equals in the journey!