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| Image from pexel: startupstockphotos.com |
My high school offered a class on CISCO Systems
to fulfil electives for graduation. I took the class to learn something new and
outside of my comfort zone. The course was one that girls in my school did not typically
enroll in. This is because demonstrating an interest
in computers and hardware was viewed as "nerdy" by my female peers. Therefore,
I was not surprised to see that I was the only female student in the class on
my first day.
I did very well in this class,
specifically, I successfully completed the physical aspect of the exam. Despite
being proud of my accomplishment, I could identify areas for self-improvement. Yet, I received differential treatment from
my male peers when I requested their feedback. For example, when my male colleagues
received feedback, it was constructive and authentic. By contrast, I received
minimal critique on my work. It seemed that my male peers were reluctant to
criticize me in fear of causing me emotional pain. Instead, they would say
“good job,” regardless of my work’s true quality. This idea presumed that
because I was a woman, I was unable to receive criticism.
Women are no different than men. This
is because women can do the same work and produce the same outcomes as their
male counterparts. However, women do not receive the same treatment (i.e.,
equal pay, respect) as men. As per my example, I received diluted feedback
compared to my male classmates due to my presumed fragility.
It's important to address the issue
of gender discrimination in the field to dismantle its occurrence within small-
and large-scale companies. Here are some examples of sexism that women in the
tech and interactive media industry experience:
Unequal treatment
Not only do women generally get
paid lower, but their bonuses are smaller. Moreover, women are less likely to
be promoted than their male colleagues in the same field of work. Consequently,
society suggests that women are "fragile" and therefore, unable to manage
difficult tasks. At Uber, female engineers sharedthat the tasks given to them were "less meaningful, challenging, andimportant," compared to the tasks assigned to their male co-workers.
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| Image from pexel: energepic.com |
Choosing between their dignity or their career
No one should have to choose
between their self-respect and passion. A lot of women in the field feel like
they must choose one or the other. Yet, either choice presents negative
consequences. If women defend their dignity and speak up, they receive backlash
from the community. For example, Ellen Pao and Julie Ann Horvath are women who spoke out
to the public about their mistreatment. Yet, they were harassed and threatened
for doing so. If women remain silent, they continue to be treated unfairly.
Conversely, if they speak out, they are silenced through intimidation. Both
consequences harm women’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Not having enough support in the field and in getting more women into the industry
Support is important because it
positively impacts an individual experiencing hardship by validating their
feelings. When Julie Ann Horvath shared the discrimination she faced during her
employment at GitHub on social media, her female GitHub peers challenged
her statement. Specifically, they stated that they have never experienced gender
discrimination in the company. The lack of support Horvath received from her female
peers for her experience disparaged her credibility. Vidya Narayanan, an ex-Google tech
lead, also feels that there aren’t enough women helping women in the industry. Perhaps, established
women in the field feel that others must face the challenges they did to grow
thicker skin? However, explicitly speaking up and supporting fellow women not
only lets them know that they are not alone in their circumstance, but gives
them the power to speak up for themselves.
After identifying some of the
challenges that women face in the industry, I realized that there's a common
thread between them--a lack of support. Support from companies for women,
support from society, and even support from women for women. It's not to say
that there are NO supports available for women, but I believe that there aren't
enough.
There needs to be support from
companies. They need to eradicate the discrepancies in salary. They need to
realize that by having equal pay for their staff, their staff would not only be
satisfied and content, but it'll also be good for the business. Companies
should also support women employees by creating a safe place to allow them to
speak about their concerns. There should be no tolerance of any form for
harassment in the workplace. Women should not feel like they're unsafe around
the people they are pursuing a passion alongside.
I also believe that having more
women in the field of tech and interactive media will help in diminishing
discrimination. To do this, we must mentor young girls who develop passions in
STEM fields to facilitate their careers. If no one else supports women, then we
got to come together and support each other.
