Women Who Code // via Social Talent
Bethanye Blount, a veteran software engineer, founder + CEO at Cathy Labs has worked in the tech industry in Silicon Valley for years. Throughout her tenure, she has experienced some of the best and worst that the tech industry has to offer women. In her interview with The Atlantic, she said that she regularly experienced “walking up to a group of male colleagues and noticing that they fell quiet, as though they’d been talking about something they didn’t want her to hear. She’s been asked to take notes in meetings. She’s found herself standing in elevators at tech conferences late at night when a guy would decide to get, as she puts it, handsy. When she and a male partner started a company, potential investors almost always directed their questions to him – even when the subject clearly fell in Blount’s area of expertise.”
Esther Lederberg // Pioneer of Bacterial Genetics
These situations are not rare or isolated to Blount, but rather a major reality of the culture that is so prevalent in Silicon Valley, and the entire tech industry. Blount decided to start speaking out and teamed up with other women who had experienced similar misogyny. This past May, they formed a group called Project Include, which provides companies and investors with a template for how to be more inclusive to women and other marginalized groups. This group is one of several that are focused on securing the best future for the industry by ensuring that some of the best and brightest are given every opportunity to succeed.
Carol W. Greider // Molecular Biologist
These inclusive groups continue to grow because according to dw.com, there is an incorrect illusion that diversity has been improving in the tech industry while the gender gap in venture capital funding continues to widen, in favor of men. The issue is coming to the forefront, and women are starting to take a stand in the face of such inequality. In 2016 venture capitalists invested $58.2 billion in all-male founded companies while female founders got a measly $1.46 billion in VC money. To note the vastly unequal ratio of support, 5,839 male-founded companies got funding while only 359 female-founded companies did. This means male-founded companies get 16 times more funding than women’s. This lack of funding results in multiple cutting-edge, women-run organizations in STEM never getting off the ground. Many of the influential leaders within the industry use these eye-opening metrics to challenge the status quo and more heartily champion the voices of women.
“I believe that the paradigm for actualizing the root of the gender gap in STEM is directly related to global issues of gender bias such as economic marginalization (women lagging behind in economic opportunity and economic participation); political empowerment and participation; education quality; and empowerment opportunities. All of these issues require more men to step up and open doors both at homes and at workplaces for women to take their rightful place as partners to a more equitable world.”
— Meera Kaul
Recently a Silicon Valley VC was accused of pushing themselves onto a female who was working for a start-up that was anticipating funding from the VC. After an evening of imbibing with a group of mostly male colleagues, the woman was suddenly in a dicey situation that she was not anticipating, and not in a position to navigate. She had to discern how to carefully, even gently – turn down someone who held all the cards and allegedly wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. This was someone who held not only the future funding of her project in his hands but also the future of her reputation within the very tight-knit industry.
This dangerously lopsided power dynamic is common within STEM communities where funding is predominantly sourced from individual venture capitalists. Most of these people are men who tend to be cutting-edge titans of commerce (with the hearts of passionate, curious philanthropists!), but they often wield enough social influence to avoid repercussions for any missteps. Hiring, mentoring and promoting women and other marginalized groups within the workplace allows for this dynamic to be challenged, and for the true power of collaboration and mutual respect to drive the competitive workforce to greater heights.
Suzanne Cryer in HBO’s Silicon Valley
Sheryl Sanberg, the COO of Facebook has also dealt with extreme prejudice on her path to senior positions in the tech sector. As a response to the sexist treatment that she experienced and observed, she founded the Lean In Foundation for women to support, mentor, and encourage one another on their career paths. The Lean In Foundation is an incredible resource for women and has fostered a dynamic community that aids in their career development. Along with Project Include, the Lean In Foundation continues to highlight the incredible achievements of women in tech and create a strong, determined community of women that are crashing through the thick glass ceiling of Silicon Valley.
Sheryl Sandberg // via Vanity Fair
In a recent study of performance reviews, 66 percent of women received negative feedback on their personal style such as “You can sometimes be abrasive,” compared to less than one percent of men. Women face a double standard that men don’t. Men are expected to be assertive and confident, so coworkers welcome their leadership. In contrast, women are expected to be nurturing and collaborative, so when we lead, we go against expectations – and often face pushback from men and women. The problem is that women need to assert ourselves to be effective. This “likeability penalty” often surfaces in the way women are described, both in passing and in performance reviews. When a woman speaks in a direct style or pushes her ideas, she is often called “aggressive” and “ambitious.” When a man does the same, he is seen as “confident” and “strong.”
— Lean In Foundation
There are many lesser known stories that mirror the Uber/Travis Kalanick situation where harassment and sexism in the workplace have resulted in charges filed. Most women in the tech and STEM fields agree that the best way to counteract the systemic misogyny in the workplace is to encourage start-ups and established companies to increase their diversity and take a purposeful approach to recruiting more women. Women-led groups like Project Include and the Lean In Foundation are laying the groundwork for this essential step and offering vital support + guidance for women navigating prejudice or inequality in their own career paths.
via the Lean In Foundation
Who are some of the women that most inspire you? We’d love to hear from you to learn more about your personal experiences! For more information about Adventure Nannies and our women-owned + operated agency, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook.