Even doctors:
Doctors enjoy elite status in much of the world. Not Russia where the majority of doctors are women and medicine is looked down upon.
Even my own:
PR is a profession largely filled by women but its leadership is almost always dominated by men.
And then there’s tech:
If we had hope that tech might bring with it a new culture where work was judged on merit alone, those hopes have been repeatedly dashed by those who seek to silence women, sometimes with threats of violence.
Sink the Pink:
Sometimes the subversion is even more calculated.
There are now more women gaming over the age of 18 than there are men.
But for years, games developed by or for women were intentionally sabotaged by male developers trying to prove that women and gaming just wasn’t a thing.
And the effect has been chilling.
Women have learned to stay quiet:
On one project I’ve been working on, 50 per cent of the people who come to the site are women.
But when we posted a poll asking people to tell us what they needed our tech product to be for them to give them success in their projects, only 5 per cent of the respondents were women.
The climate is such that women have figured out it is safer to just work hard and keep your head down drawing as little attention to yourself as possible.
Even when the environment is very safe.
A view from on high:
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella caught some heat for suggesting that women shouldn’t ask for raises but rely on Karma and the benevolence of their bosses for more money.
He just got an $84million pay package.
In response to the backlash, he sent round a memo touting enhanced training for Microsoft workers on inclusivity.
Did I mention he just got an $84million pay package?
Brave new world, old story:
The truth is, in tech companies, women are rarely hired to code and when they are, they have to prove themselves in ways men never do.
Women not buddies:
Women in more traditional but necessary fields within tech are often excluded from the boys clubs, rounds of golf, financial meetings and nights of drinking where male mentors walk out with positions on the board and male friends get stock options.The problem is just as bad, maybe worse, in in start-ups because they usually tend to have been started by friends.
The Tiara Syndrome:
Women believe that if we work really hard and keep giving of themselves, they will be rewarded for their devotion, dedication and even often donation of work, and someone will come along and pop a Tiara on our head.
No one is coming to pop a tiara on your head.
Very hard for women to break through:
The culture shows no sign of changing, despite the summits, the promises and the platitudes.
Women often work harder and punch well above what they’re being paid.
But women are left in a world where they are supposed to wait for Karma, waiting for rewards that simply won’t come on their own.
The Names we are called:
And when women raise their voices, they are called pushy, grabby, bossy and yes, bitchy.
They must raise them anyway. Raise them even though they will be shunned, rebuked and maybe even fired.
Because karma will not come to the rescue. Not in this lifetime anyway.
It is up to women to rescue themselves. It is up to women to rescue each other.
Susan McLennan
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