I’ve refrained from writing anything about the problem of gender and sexism in tech because, honestly, I was hoping I wouldn’t need to. I was hoping that the recent increase in the profile of this issue would mean that the whole thing would blow over, and so I could just sit here quietly and not bother myself.
In the words of XKCD, Fuck. That. Shit.
I’m officially done with it. I’m sick of working in an industry which is, by its nature, gender-blind, yet being surrounded by almost entirely men. I’ve never met a woman in this industry who wasn’t better at what they do than I am. But that’s to be expected, when the smart money says that less than 10% of the industry is female: you have to be excellent just to survive. And even the women who are unquestionably excellent (hi Ashe) at what they do suffer from the appalling immaturity and sexism of some of the men in this industry.
I have the wonderful pleasure of not having personally worked with anyone who has behaved so obnoxiously, but consider this a statement: if I’m ever at a conference with you, or if I’m working on a project with you, or even just sharing a drink with you in the pub, I expect you to treat everyone in this industry with the respect they deserve.
And if you have the gall to treat anyone as less than they are, I reserve the right to call you out on your crap, and then drag your name through the mud on the internet as much as I possibly can.
I’m not sitting by any longer. I know I’m late to the party that people like Ashe, and Faruk, and Sarah, and Aaron, have been at for so long, but I’m here now.
In the meantime, I’m going to throw my support behind anything that helps increase the number of women in the industry. For instance, I recommend you check out (and promote) Ladies Learning Code.
Let’s fix this. Let’s not stay quiet any longer.