Women in Technology

I was listening to a podcast today from IT Conversations. Sometimes the featured podcast topics really get me to thinking; this particular one was about women in open source by Kirrily Robert.

She discusses the fact that women are a minority in open source, and technology in general. What I took away from her discussion was that basically the entrenched male-dominated field of technology is inherently sexist and unwelcoming to new (female) partners in development. She draws a parallel between women entering the tech community to a man getting a manicure at a salon. They just don't feel that they fit in.

Additionally, 80-some percent of men in the field aren't even aware of sexism in their community.

That got me to thinking about how technology draws a unique kind of individual in the first place. We tend to be less than sociable. We work in a meritocracy. We are managed with many similarities in technique to those used to manage a herd of cats. People who truly belong in technology tend to be...well, not normal. I've heard it said that a large percentage of people in IT and programming tend to have much in common with those suffering from (or enjoying) Asperger traits.

I don't think it's that the technology community keeps women in particular out. I think that broadly speaking there are a number of traits that the average woman isn't comfortable with. This is a broad statement and I'm acknowledging that there are many very talented and capable female workers in IT and programming fields. You might assume I'm being sexist; it may sound it, but while I'm characterizing it as a female trait, I think there are plenty of people of both genders for whom this is true. I think that on average this is true of a greater percentage of women than men, and if that makes this sexist, then so be it.

This field tends to be a meritocracy. Part of that means you defend yourself and your ideas; whoever makes the best argument "wins". It means arguing. It means pointing out when the guy in the next cubicle is an idiot, and why you believe that. It means that things get nasty sometimes, and respect isn't handed out with a title so much as it's found crawling through the technology trenches. And many people...perhaps a disproportionate number of women compared to men...aren't comfortable in that environment.

So when Ms. Roberts is complaining that the entrenched male-dominated IT people need to make things more friendly and welcoming, I cringe. We get our standing the same way as everyone else in our field...we fought for it. We checked our thin skins at the door. Is she saying that we need to go out of our way to coddle someone who can't stand on his or her own merits of their ideas?

I think that we generally don't care if you have mammary glands or not. If you're capable of performing the job you will be fine. There are those that may be excessively rude or crude; when limits hit a point of disruption, then sure, step in and do something about it. But for the most part I think that man or woman can earn a place within a team; for people who like things like Dungeons and Dragons and science fiction, being a woman isn't a problem to accept. We may think it's novel since it's not common to have females in the IT department, but it's like finding someone with a mint-condition first edition D&D rule book or Leonard Nimoy's autograph. It's novel. Novelties wear off.

It's very possible that my views are biased. I'm male. I can't really help that. I am wired a little differently so I see the world a little differently. If you have had experiences to the contrary, please share in the comments!

Personally I disagree with Kirrily's assertions. I think the community naturally appeals to the antisocial and people with Aspergian tendencies, and part of the meritocracy involves behaviors that on average women tend to not be comfortable participating in. Any attempt to veer away from a formula where you're in your position because you deserve that position will only bring resentment. But like I said...if you have views or experiences to contribute, please share them!