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Ask HN: Why are we pushing so hard for more women in tech?

1 points by askingquestions ↗ HN
Before you attack me for being sexist and/or misogynistic, hear me out. I am honestly curios about this and it is not my intention to offend anyone. If there is something I do not understand, please enlighten me.

I just read another article this morning claiming that we "need more women in leadership roles" and, frankly, I don't understand why.

Women make up a small percentage of the tech work force. Whether we agree with that or not, it is true. If 5% (I don't know if this number is even close to reality) of engineers are women, then why should we strive for engineering teams that are 50/50 (a goal at multiple companies I've worked for)? Shouldn't women make up 5% of the engineering team? Shouldn't women make up 5% of the leadership team?

That sounds like women are being hired because they are women, not because they are necessarily the best candidate for the gig. It follows that the whole gender equality argument goes out the window if we are hiring women because they are women. That's the same thing as NOT hiring women because they are women.

With that said, I understand that there is a lot of sexism and misogyny in our industry and I agree that is a massive problem.

2 comments

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boo_radley
I think the issue is that a lot of women get pushed out or pursue other options because they're harassed or etc. If you're not sure if 5% of engineers are women, why would you use that as your starting point for discussion? Why not do a little research first?
eshaham
I believe that gender diversity contributes so much to a tech company's working environment, that I would prefer taking a female candidate with similar qualifications over any other male candidates. That being said, she will still need to qualify!