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Debugging Diversity

Dan Draper and Catherine Jones • February 10, 2016 • Earth

The video, titled "Debugging Diversity," presented by Dan Draper and Catherine Jones at RubyConf AU 2016, addresses the significant lack of diversity in the tech industry, focusing mainly on the issues of race and gender.

Key points discussed throughout the presentation include:

- Definition of Diversity: The presenters clarify that diversity encompasses various factors including gender, race, age, and more, but they primarily focus on race and gender due to the time constraints.

- Current Participation Rates: They highlight alarming statistics, revealing that only about 26% of the tech workforce is female, with even lower percentages for racial minorities, particularly for African-American and Hispanic women.

- Exodus of Women from Tech: A major concern is that many women are leaving the tech field, not just due to retirement or familial reasons, but often due to feelings of exclusion, harassment, and workplace culture challenges.

- Toy Marketing: Draper mentions how marketing of toys perpetuates gender stereotypes, with girls being steered towards domestic roles and boys towards engineering and science, impacting their career interests from an early age.

- Hollywood Representation: They discuss how media portrayals of tech culture, specifically in shows like "The IT Crowd" and "The Big Bang Theory," often reinforce negative stereotypes that make the tech environment less appealing to women.

- Brogrammer Culture: This cultural phenomenon is identified as a significant barrier for women and others trying to enter the tech space, creating an environment that is often seen as unwelcoming.

- Promising Initiatives: The speakers showcase companies like GoldieBlox and Hopscotch that are working to inspire young girls in technology by providing diverse role models and fun programming experiences.

- Local and National Support: They encourage audience participation in local organizations aimed at supporting women in tech and highlight that increasing diversity not only leads to a fairer workplace but also to improved company performance.

- Documentary: The presentation concludes by introducing a documentary titled "Debugging Diversity," aimed at exploring these issues further and showcasing contributions by women in the tech community.

The main takeaway from the video emphasizes the necessity for continuous dialogue about diversity and the active role each individual can play in fostering a more inclusive environment in the tech industry. The presenters call for awareness and advocacy, encapsulated in the hashtag #DebuggingDiversity.

Debugging Diversity
Dan Draper and Catherine Jones • February 10, 2016 • Earth

RubyConf AU 2016: Most of us who work in the tech space know that it is painfully lacking in diversity. But why is it the case? After all, the early pioneers of computer science were largely women and yet now only 6% of tech leaders are female. In Australia, the number of Aboriginal developers barely blips past 0%.

Debugging Diversity performs a root cause analysis on diversity in tech and explains how it can be fixed. How each and everyone of us plays a role. Come and hear how over 2 years of research has culminated in a provocative, yet inspiring presentation.

RubyConf AU 2016

00:00:00.280 Welcome to Debugging Diversity. My name is Dan Draper.
00:00:02.679 I've been involved in tech for a long time, and I have a strong passion for diversity in technology. The gender issue is certainly a significant one; it’s probably the major one, but there are also a number of other diversity issues in our professional society, especially in tech, that we would love to dive into.
00:00:07.720 However, we only have 20 minutes, so let's get started. As mentioned, I'm Cass, and I work for the digital transformation office. We are both advocates for diversity in tech.
00:00:25.320 So, what do we mean when we talk about diversity? Well, diversity covers a lot of different areas: it covers sexuality, gender, politics, religion, disability, ability, age, education, and race. That's just too much for us to cover in 20 minutes, so we're going to primarily focus on race and gender today.
00:00:40.000 So how bad is it? Well, it's pretty bad. Participation rates in tech are quite similar in both the US and Australia. Only around 26% of the computer science or technology workforce is female. This situation becomes even more dire when looking at specific demographics.
00:01:02.600 If you're an Asian woman, you make up a mere 5% of the technology workforce. If you're an African-American woman, that number drops to just 3%, and if you're a Hispanic woman, it falls to only 1%. Given that we're in Australia, it's important to acknowledge the Indigenous community as well. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find any meaningful statistics on the participation of the Indigenous community in technology.
00:01:31.400 In fact, it's even challenging to get meaningful statistics on Indigenous professionals in Australia. That's a difficult issue to tackle, and it's beyond the scope of this talk, but I urge everyone to keep it in mind.
00:02:10.120 Looking at the statistics Dan just mentioned, you might think that women's participation in all professions would be lower, but you would be mistaken. Women actually make up a larger portion of the professional workforce. In technology, however, that number drops to a mere 26%, and when you examine tech leadership, it drops even further to a paltry 6%.
00:02:23.960 So where are all the women in tech? It might seem that the majority of top tech companies have figured this out, but sadly, they have not. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook all fall well below the industry average for female participation. A recent study by Harvard Business School indicated that up to 50% of women currently working in tech plan to leave.
00:02:54.000 And this isn’t solely about retirement or maternity leave; many women are simply deciding they've had enough of tech and are opting out.
00:03:19.440 So why are all these women leaving tech when there are jobs and money available? A recent survey conducted in partnership with Stanford University provides some insight. It found that 66% of women feel excluded from social networking events.
00:03:40.000 Additionally, 75% reported being asked about family, marital status, and children in interviews, while 60% experienced unwanted sexual advances. To top it all off, Australia’s tech sector has the second-highest pay gap of any industry, sitting at 30.1%. It's no wonder that so many women are leaving tech.
00:04:07.799 One of the major reasons identified in our research is the marketing of toys to children. This issue begins at a very young age. For those of you with kids, you may have experienced this yourselves; if not, I encourage you to visit a toy store. Pay attention to how toys are marketed toward girls versus boys.
00:04:29.160 Typically, toys marketed to girls revolve around homemaking or motherhood, such as baby dolls or kitchen sets, while boys' toys promote a broader range of interests, including engineering and science kits. These toys sure would be just as interesting to girls, but for whatever reason, marketers have decided they are boys' toys.
00:04:52.919 Interestingly, pink was never actually a girls' color; it was considered a boy's color back in World War II times. However, marketing has since relegated pink to the realm of girls' items.
00:05:06.000 The next issue we want to discuss is the Hollywood problem, exemplified by shows like The IT Crowd and The Big Bang Theory. The lack of representation of women in tech on television perpetuates the stereotype of the socially awkward male nerd, which makes tech appear unappealing to women.
00:05:18.120 Furthermore, there's the brogrammer culture. Many of you may have encountered this, whether for good or bad—most likely bad. Silicon Valley is a satire that sheds light on some hard truths about program culture. Imagine a Stanford graduate—most likely male—starting a company and receiving funding from male investors to sell to male customers, typically all fitting a similar profile.
00:06:05.960 This creates an endemic culture that's difficult for outsiders—especially women and others who don’t fit the mold—to penetrate. The brogrammer culture bears significant responsibility for these barriers.
00:06:28.199 One interesting slide from a past Ruby conference illustrated this issue. It was clearly targeted at a very specific individual or group and does not convey the inclusive message we want to promote.
00:06:48.800 Let's take a moment to discuss solutions. Some companies are working to address the marketing problem. GoldieBlox in the US has created a range of dolls aimed at inspiring and educating young girls about non-traditional career paths, like coding and development.
00:07:10.120 They provide positive role models and have created videos that showcase these themes. These initiatives aim to increase representation and interest in technology among girls.
00:07:44.639 In terms of real-world progress, Mattel has recently updated Barbie, offering dolls in three body types and seven different skin tones. Lego has also made strides with the introduction of a handicapped figure.
00:08:01.720 There is also a company called Hopscotch, founded in New York by two women that teaches kids about programming in a fun and engaging way. They allow young learners to grasp basic programming concepts without even realizing they're coding.
00:08:31.680 Moreover, you can contribute to local organizations that support women in technology and women of color by volunteering, donating, or spreading awareness through social media. Your support can make a real difference.
00:08:51.440 According to updated statistics from the US Department of Labor, there will be 1 million technology jobs available in the US by 2024 left unfilled. If we can change the current gender diversity ratio of 26% to a more balanced 50%, we could see an additional 300,000 competent coders and engineers in the industry.
00:09:23.440 Diverse teams are not just fair; they are more productive too. Evidence shows that when companies become more balanced in terms of gender, their earnings can improve significantly.
00:10:00.000 The previous statistics on women leaving the tech industry were collected through a collaborative survey between Stanford University and other organizations. This has been a vital resource for understanding gender diversity.
00:10:25.000 To gather better local data, a survey specifically targeting Australia has been released. Participation in this survey will help illuminate the current state of gender diversity in the tech community and assist in identifying the issues we need to address.
00:11:00.000 Additionally, I’d like to introduce you all to a documentary I'm the executive producer of, called Debugging Diversity. We are capturing voices and thoughts about the diversity problem in tech, highlighting what makes the Ruby community stand out.
00:11:40.000 We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. We have a trailer for the documentary that we would like to present to you now. This highlights some of the amazing women in tech and their contributions.
00:12:34.200 As we conclude, we thank you for listening to this difficult topic. It is crucial that we open dialogues about diversity and the role each of us can play to foster a more inclusive environment. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to approach us, tweet us, or engage with us on social media.
00:13:31.000 Let's continue the conversation and consider using the hashtag #DebuggingDiversity. Thank you very much.
DD
Dan Draper
1 talk
CJ
Catherine Jones
1 talk
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