Because tech is often a toxic bro club. There are many projects that are trying to fix this (Python is a good example), but it takes time, effort, and a lot of debating…
Unfortunately, even in communities that try to be welcoming, women are extremely underrepresented. My local Rust group has only a scant number of women attending, and they rarely come to the social events after. That’s despite a concerted effort by the Rust community to set strict standards around behavior.
Imagine dealing with misogyny and harassment all your life. Even when you do find a group that is safe and welcoming, it will take a while for you to trust it.
Plus, this misogyny permeates society and the education system specifically. People are told outright “tech is for guys”, in a myriad of ways. In a way it’s just amazing that some phenomenal, strong women are able to break through this bullshit and end up doing tech stuff.
I do hope it will get better, and welcoming, safe communities (like Rust!) make that change possible.
(and I kind of suspect all of this is kinda obvious; if so, sorry for mansplaining 😅 )
Because tech is often a toxic bro club. There are many projects that are trying to fix this (Python is a good example), but it takes time, effort, and a lot of debating…
Unfortunately, even in communities that try to be welcoming, women are extremely underrepresented. My local Rust group has only a scant number of women attending, and they rarely come to the social events after. That’s despite a concerted effort by the Rust community to set strict standards around behavior.
Imagine dealing with misogyny and harassment all your life. Even when you do find a group that is safe and welcoming, it will take a while for you to trust it.
Plus, this misogyny permeates society and the education system specifically. People are told outright “tech is for guys”, in a myriad of ways. In a way it’s just amazing that some phenomenal, strong women are able to break through this bullshit and end up doing tech stuff.
I do hope it will get better, and welcoming, safe communities (like Rust!) make that change possible.
(and I kind of suspect all of this is kinda obvious; if so, sorry for mansplaining 😅 )