{"id":1655,"date":"2010-09-08T12:16:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-08T19:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.talesfromthe.net\/jon\/?p=1655"},"modified":"2010-09-08T12:16:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-08T19:16:00","slug":"women-in-tech-startups-how-each-of-us-can-help-change-the-ratio-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2024.thenexus.today\/index.php\/2010\/09\/08\/women-in-tech-startups-how-each-of-us-can-help-change-the-ratio-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in tech startups: how each of us can help change the ratio, parts 2 and 3 (DRAFT)"},"content":{"rendered":"

DRAFT!\u00c2\u00a0 Feedback welcome!<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of a series for NWEN’s blog<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"WWII<\/p>\n

Obviously this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just a problem for women, nor just in technology\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 we run across the problem anytime our society has an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in\u00e2\u20ac\u009d group that we want to figure out how to equalize (immigrants, race, sex, age, etc.). Since the male\/female ratio is likely to stay about even throughout society, it might be an easier(?)\/good(?) place to really try to work it out and benefit a whole lot of other \u00e2\u20ac\u0153out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d groups.<\/p>\n

— Beth Klem, in a comment on an earlier draft<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you missed part 1<\/a>, after a brief intro discussing the Arrington kerfuffle<\/a> and started on a list of things we can each do as individuals to help change the ratio: Commit to putting some energy and resources into it<\/strong>, Mentor women<\/strong>, and Get out of your cultural cocoon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot more to be said but first I’d like to highlight something I think is particularly important: while the current discussion is focusing primarily on women in technology, the underlying challenges are much broader and even more complex.<\/p>\n

People of color, LGTBQs, people with disabilities, older people, youth, non-native English speakers … all of them face huge biases and are generally underrepresented in technology. The broad categories disguise significant differences. Black women, Latin@s, Native American women, etc. all have unique experiences at aren’t captured in “people of color”. And the challenges are toughest at the intersections: women with disabilities, older women, rural women … the list goes on.<\/p>\n

So while my examples are primarily about women, please keep other dimensions of diversity in mind as you’re reading this — similar approaches are needed there as well. And if you’re a blogger or wiki type who would like to expand the examples and recommendations here in additional dimensions, please do!<\/p>\n

Thank you for listening. We now return to the discussion of changing the ratio of women in technology.<\/p>\n