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Well I just yelled at a room full of white male executives who were blaming "the pipeline" for their company's lack of diversity and I feel very pleased with myself.
There was much swearing and banging on the table. They hit a fucking nerve.
There was much swearing and banging on the table. They hit a fucking nerve.
"My daughters had the option to go into tech and they just weren't interested"
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
"We want to hire women but they just don't apply."
Cue yelling.
I am VERY fucking conscious of the fact I am the only woman in this group, and I almost always am. So I am always the one having to fucking say this. You need to do better and it is NOT good enough to blame the pipeline.
I am VERY fucking conscious of the fact I am the only woman in this group, and I almost always am. So I am always the one having to fucking say this. You need to do better and it is NOT good enough to blame the pipeline.
There's a reason women don't want to join your companies and there's a reason women leave tech completely. The only reason I am still here is because I am *fucking stubborn*
Then someone said "we need more women in tech like you" and I said
To be like me you have to be fucking brave and that is a big ask. A big. Ask.
To be like me you have to be fucking brave and that is a big ask. A big. Ask.
If you knew what I have had to go through to become like this you would NOT say more women should be like me. Women should NOT have to be like me to be successful in tech.
I don't want to be a fucking diversity expert or an example or an icon, I just want to do my fucking job and enjoy it. But here I am, once again, having to do the work. What can you do? You can do some of the bloody work for me so I don't have to.
So yeah now go ahead and tell me how many awesome female engineers you've hired or worked for in your career but I don't fucking care about that. What are you doing to educate yourself and others about this issue so I can stop having to yell at people?
Some context:
- it was a networking dinner, we all represented different companies, I was invited as a peer
- I rarely yell at people and don't like it
- the rant was received well, and several of them thanked me for it later and said they had something to think about
- it was a networking dinner, we all represented different companies, I was invited as a peer
- I rarely yell at people and don't like it
- the rant was received well, and several of them thanked me for it later and said they had something to think about
- the points had been raised politely several times already by the (female) discussion facilitator and subsequently dismissed
- honestly the vibe of alpha maleness in the room cannot be understated here
- honestly the vibe of alpha maleness in the room cannot be understated here
