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0 pointsmanfredo7y ago0 comments

To be fair, the tech companies are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The media has been heavily pushing the narrative that women are underrepresented at these tech companies - and they are compared to the general population. But I've seen plenty of stories, even from reputable sources like the NYT, criticizing tech companies for only hiring 20-25% women while failing to mention that this is exactly in line with the percentages of tech workers that are women. Same sort of deal with URM.

Ironically, the concern over discrimination in tech is itself the cause of a significant amount of explicit discrimination.

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europsucks7y ago

Maybe tech companies shouldn't let journalists tell them how to run their companies.

dragonwriter7y ago

> But I've seen plenty of stories, even from reputable sources like the NYT, criticizing tech companies for only hiring 20-25% women while failing to mention that this is exactly in line with the percentages of tech workers that are women.

If the industry is systematically unfavorable to women, hiring at the same percentage as the industry as a whole (which is what matching the “percentage of tech workers that are women” is) is indicative of being fully on-line with the average degree to which the industry is systematically unfavorable to women.

It would be inconsistent to criticize the industry but not firms that were dead in the middle of the pack.

pathseeker7y ago

>If the industry is systematically unfavorable to women

It's not. The CS graduation ratio is just as bad.

dragonwriter7y ago

> The CS graduation ratio is just as bad.

If the industry were either actually or even merely perceived as systematically unfavorable to women, a natural consequence would be women being less likely to pursue education focussed on the field in preference to other fields that were less unfavorable.

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manfredoOP7y ago

Sure, but everyone seems to be assuming that it's systematically unfavorable towards women solely based on the fact that women make up less than parity.

That claim only works if one assumes that any disparity is the result of systematic bias.

kyle-rb7y ago

I don't think the person you're replying to is criticizing the industry though. From what I can tell, they're saying it's not the industry's fault that it lacks women.

That's how I see it anyway: mainly based on the fact that women make up only around 20% of CS majors, I don't think the issue lies in the hiring practices of most tech companies.

dragonwriter7y ago

> I don't think the person you're replying to is criticizing the industry though.

No, but the people they are criticizing for criticizing firms hiring at industrt-average proprotions are also criticizing the industry, which is the issue.

europsucks7y ago

If hiring was the issue, there would have to be a pool of IT women who can't find a job. I don't think such a pool exists.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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europsucks7y ago

Maybe tech companies shouldn't let journalists tell them how to run their companies.

dragonwriter7y ago

It would be inconsistent to criticize the industry but not firms that were dead in the middle of the pack.

pathseeker7y ago

>If the industry is systematically unfavorable to women

It's not. The CS graduation ratio is just as bad.

dragonwriter7y ago

> The CS graduation ratio is just as bad.

1 more reply

manfredoOP7y ago

Sure, but everyone seems to be assuming that it's systematically unfavorable towards women solely based on the fact that women make up less than parity.

That claim only works if one assumes that any disparity is the result of systematic bias.

kyle-rb7y ago

I don't think the person you're replying to is criticizing the industry though. From what I can tell, they're saying it's not the industry's fault that it lacks women.

That's how I see it anyway: mainly based on the fact that women make up only around 20% of CS majors, I don't think the issue lies in the hiring practices of most tech companies.

dragonwriter7y ago

> I don't think the person you're replying to is criticizing the industry though.

No, but the people they are criticizing for criticizing firms hiring at industrt-average proprotions are also criticizing the industry, which is the issue.

europsucks7y ago

If hiring was the issue, there would have to be a pool of IT women who can't find a job. I don't think such a pool exists.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse