I make sure to participate in #shecoded every year to share this gif:
Equality in tech looks like…
Anything that would be provided is provided to all peoples equally.
Care products in one bathroom are also in the other. 1:1s offsite are available to all people. Time off is distributed equally. There are multiple ways of boosting morale.
These things sound like no brainers, but the actual act of doing them gets far greyer to the people in charge of an organization. Sanitary products in women's restrooms but not in men's and neutral/family restrooms. 1:1s between the same gender but not with the opposite because of the perception, which then disadvantages those who can't get facetime with management. Minimal maternity/paternity leave or offering it skewed because one gender is more nurturing or physically recovering (but that other partner needs to be around to help, too). Rewards are only after-hours happy hours, which means caregivers can't go or it ends up being very "tech bro", but you can't complain about a reward without being labeled as entitled.
There's always a reason against doing what would be equal, but it's never a good one.
I’m an expert at…
Hmmm... probably Protractor and Jasmine. Wrangling those frameworks into working because I have enough hours of practice to know their quirks. Knowing them well enough to know what to Google, at least. I don't know -- I don't really think about it.
My advice for allies to support self-identifying women and non-binary folks who code is...
People are people. There's no mythical solution to making sure you're behaving right for The Women or whatever group.
Yes, sanitary products are a great way to provide support for transfolk, but does Joe feel safe to take them?
Adding generous maternity leave can make HR feel good about supporting women in tech, but what about Jenny, who has no interest in having children, or Christine, who is so swamped at work that she takes only what's needed to physically recover and is on her phone the whole time?
Make sure you're including all your peers in everything. Ask if there's anything they'd like to see be changed about the place that you can help with. Be mindful you might have perceptions that are off; the fix for that is to get to know people you may have perceived wrong. Speak up if you see or hear someone being offbase. Be an ally.
Top comments (1)
Consider that instead of rampant individualism, collective egalitarianism might be fairer for all and a lot more sustainable. The two are often confused and sometimes conflated.